One Objective
by beachbumyeahh
Summary: Seventeen years ago, Sharpay Evans left a life she thought she didn't want. Now she's back and knows that she wants this. She wants her daughter back - with or without the father. ZekeSharpay, Alternate Universe.
1. Prologue

**One Objective**

**Summary: **After seventeen years, Sharpay Evans is finally going back home with only one objective in mind: to bring her daughter back to France with her, and if possible, avoid the father at all costs.

**Rating: **Ranging from PG - 13 to whatever. ;)

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, don't own HSM.

**Pairing: **ZS and all the others.

**Prologue**

Her French manicured nails carefully opened the sealed white envelope. Her eyes were housing a pool of tears that refused to fall down. She was leaning on the wall near the window, her hands on the envelope she was dreading to open. With a sigh, she put the envelope aside and flipped the card open.

She wrapped her white, designer trench coat around herself tighter as her fingers graced the front of the picture, her index finger purposely stopping at the young face that was smiling at her. A girl who was an exact copy of her, from the hair to the skin colour and to that megawatt smile she was wearing.

She sighed once again before turning the picture over and reading the message that was neatly scribbled.

_Your daughter's turning eighteen in two weeks. Be a mother. She clearly needs one._

_-- Ryan._

She flipped the picture back and stared at the young girl's eyes. Those eyes were not like hers. It wasn't the same ocean blue eyes as hers, but it was the almost-gray-but-still-brown color she always used to get lost in. It was a hypnotic shade. But her staring moment was interrupted by the one of her maid's voice.

"Ms. Evans, the limo had just arrived. If you don't move, you will get late for your private jet, yes?" Glenda – her grandmother's trusty maid for years – said with her thick foreign accent. She shooed her towards the front door and into the stretch black limousine. She saw the driver struggle to put the large amount of Burberry luggage that she planned to bring along with her.

Seventeen years have passed, too much has happened. But she was ready to make up for it. She was – in her opinion – mature enough to handle it. And at her late thirties, she wanted nothing more than to get to know the one person that has been roaming her mind ever since that faithful day.

And now, she was about to go back home and face her two biggest mistakes: her seventeen year old daughter – well, her almost seventeen year old daughter – and her father.

With a sigh, she stepped out of the car and waved her long, blonde hair carefully. She grabbed a pair of white Juicy sunglasses and covered her shining, wet, ocean-like eyes and smirked softly as she entered her grandmother's private jet.

Sharpay Evans was going back home with only one objective in mind:

To bring her daughter back to France with her, _and if possible_, avoid the father at all costs.

**A/N: **Hello to all. And I'm back! :) Yeah, after a very long hiatus, I'm back with a new plot and interesting things to tell you. :) Now, before I continue this, I'd like to know what everyone thinks. Is this just a waste of time, or is it something worth waiting for? 'Cause I need to know. :) Feel free to review or message me. I accept any kind of reviews.

And oh yeah, expect the slowest of all slow updates on this story. Yeah, I'm warning you. Lol. :)

See ya. :)

-- Paula


	2. Long Names Are Always More Dramatic

**Chapter 1: Long Names Are Always More Dramatic**

Life was _never_ easy for her, even though everybody thought it was.

Blair Hayden Evans-Baylor was the one every girl _wanted_ to be. She was the one every boy wanted to be _with_. She was the one every parent wanted to be as _their_ child. Her two-storey mansion was covered by her awards. Medals and certificates were hung on the wall, placed on tables, and displayed on shelves. Her accessories were always designer-made. Her car was the best in the town. Her purse was filled with dozens of credit cards and money itself.

She was perfect. Nobody could see a single flaw in her. Many have tried to look for one, but they always left empty handed.

But really, who _was_ Blair Hayden Evans-Baylor? Was she really perfect? Her life sounds great, but was she happy? She seemed content, but was she really?

The answers were clear, but only to her: Her life was never perfect; never had been, never would be. She could never be happy. And she would never be content. Her life was full of _nevers_. To summarize things, she was a fucked-up girl who could hide her emotions well.

Growing up without a mother could do that – _mess you up_. Knowing that you caused whatever your father was going through. That it was _you_ who drove your own mother away from you and your father. It was hard knowing that your father couldn't even look at you for more than a few minutes before walking out of the room. That _you_ were the reason both of your lives were messed up. And it definitely was hard knowing that while you continued to live your life, your mother was living hers, _separately_.

"_Dad?" Little 10-year-old Blair had her blond locks in high pigtails as she knocked on her father's bedroom door. She saw her father sitting on the bed, typing away on the laptop. She wore a big grin as she excitedly ran and jumped on the bed. "Hi, Daddy!"_

_Zeke gave her a wary smile and glanced back at the laptop. "Hayden, what are you doing here?" he asked, calmly ignoring the rolling child on the bed. _

_At that time, she didn't understand why her father wouldn't play with her or talk with her for a long time. Other kids did that with their dads. And the really lucky ones had their moms. "Well, Dad, if you're free this Saturday, Leah and I – you know, Leah, my best friend – well, we wanted to see this musical that's opening. . ." She trailed off and waited for his reply._

_She pretended not to notice her father stiffen after her statement was released. She stared back at him and realized that her father was staring at her. She felt like looking into the mirror when she saw his eyes. Up until that moment, she thought her father was strong. As if nobody could ever penetrate his shield. But she didn't expect that it was her that had broken it. _

_His eyes were cloudy and she could clearly see that he was broken, just like she was. He could be an actor with the way his eyes hid the hurt he was feeling. "Can you repeat what you're seeing on Saturday, dear?" The words were quiet and forced. _

_She sat up straight and shifted uncomfortably. "A musical . . ." Her little voice trembled as she tried to act mature. She didn't dare look into her father's eyes anymore._

_He closed the laptop with a loud snap and he slipped on his shoes. "I forgot to tell you, Hayden," he mumbled as he walked towards the door, her eyes lingering on him. "I'll be on a plane later tonight. I won't be home until Sunday, so Ryan will take care of you." And with that, he walked out of the room. She cried until Ryan came that night. After that, she forced herself to stop because he'd notice. She didn't want any of them to notice._

After that night, she set up a few rules for herself. She now knew the rules by heart.

_1. Never mention musical, or anything related to acting and singing._

_2. Never mention or ask about Sharpay or anything related to her._

_3. Never ask Zeke a personal question._

_4. Never ask about his past, either._

Her friends called her Blair. Well, her _so-called friends_ called her this. She never really knew who her real friends were. And truthfully, she couldn't care less. They could've been friends with her because she was rich, smart, and beautiful. But, whatever, Blair didn't care.

Her enemies called her Evans. When she turned seventeen last year, she decided to change her last name to Evans, and only Evans. She loved her father's last name, really. But the last name was the only thing that was the same between her and her mother, it was the only thing that couldn't be taken away from them. Her father didn't care. Zeke agreed to whatever she asked to. She didn't know why he did, but he did it and she was fine with it.

Her godfather, Ryan Evans, called her Blair, too. Ironic, wasn't it? Her mother's twin was there for her every first. Her first step, her first word (it had been "Mama"), her first day in school, her first period, her first date, and even the first time she accidentally got drunk. What about her mother, you ask? The only first she experienced with her was the first time she cried, she breathed, and the first time her mother gave birth. She hated that fact.

Hayden was her second name. Only two people were allowed to call her that; her mother and her father. And the chance that her mother would ever call her that was slim. Blair only met Sharpay through the pictures Ryan provided her. Sharpay Evans was her mother. Hayden damned the kids who hated theirs. At least they had mothers there to pester them. She had no one.

The sudden sound of her father's voice broke Blair out of her reverie. She removed her gaze from the long forgotten book she held and looked at the vase behind her father. She never looked him in the eye anymore. Maybe it was because she was afraid to see the same set of eyes that buried an amount of hurt she couldn't describe or maybe she was just plain tired of looking into eyes that wouldn't look back into hers.

"Hayden," Zeke called out, his voice neutral. "Do you remember your friend, Cristiano, the boy who moved a couple of years ago?" His question caught Blair off guard.

Of course Hayden remembered him. Cristiano Darbus - they had been friends and partners-in-crime ever since they could breathe. They were neighbors, and his mother pitied her because not only did she not have a mother, but her father was not always there. Blair and Cristiano went to school together up until two years ago, when his mother died. His family wanted to start fresh. They moved to their sick grandmother's estate somewhere in New Mexico.

"Of course." Her fake voice answered. She crossed her leg around the other and shifted her weight on the white, leather sofa. "Why do you ask?"

Zeke arranged his papers orderly before standing up. "We're visiting."

She froze. "What?" Her voice was no longer perfected; it sounded strained and surprised.

"Not actually visiting." Her father shrugged. "More like moving. I'm going there tomorrow. You're expected to be there in three days." For a second, she could've sworn she saw her father looked at her guiltily and sheepishly.

She wanted to protest, to yell and tell him it was unfair. She wanted to act like the teenager she was. She was tired of acting like an adult. Her junior year had just ended and she was just starting to enjoy the California sun. She was expected to run for student body president next year. She was expected to graduate as valedictorian. But then she remembered her father's eyes. The one moment he looked weak and vulnerable made her shake. Her father sacrificed so much for her. This was the least she could do.

"Okay. I'll start packing." Her voice never sounded so fake, so forced, and so quiet.

* * *

It was hot, too hot. The sun scorched her bare shoulders. It quickly dried her wavy, blond hair. Her eyes squinted because of the great heat. Her lips were pursed together in a scowl. And sweat was starting appear on her forehead - sticky, little drops of water appearing out of nowhere.

_Ew._

She stood outside her new mansion. It was two-storeys high and painted with a brilliant shade of beige. Her yellow Porsche was parked outside. A small, white fence surrounded the front of her house and her new Jimmy Choos brushed the neatly cut grass.

She was forced to live in a godforsaken town that was full of incredibly dull people. Already, her neighbors were standing outside the house, watching her curiously. Was this town rarely visited? Was she the very first one to move? Where were the beaches and the parties and all the other things that came with being in an interesting town?

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Zeke had lived here. Her father lived his whole childhood here. Her mother had lived here, too. They had lived their lives here before moving onto separate paths. Hayden was born here. Her family was like a _freaking_ legend here. Why did her parents have to be so . . . known? For once, she'd like the eyes to be off her.

The town was small. It made her want to run away. People knew everyone there. And, somehow, they knew her. They knew Blair was the heir of the Baylor family. They knew that _she_was the poor child that made the beautiful and fierce Sharpay Evans run away. Some were brave enough to greet her when she arrived. Some even stared at her bug-eyed before quietly whispering, "Sharpay?" to themselves. It made her want to hurl.

She didn't know anybody. Not even her grandparents that resided somewhere around town. Well, she knew the Darbus family. But she had yet to meet Cristiano.

"This sucks," she finally admitted before sitting down on the cool grass. She crossed her jean-covered legs and allowed the sun to hit her entire body, her head bowing behind her.

She heard an earthy chuckle come from in front of her. Her sunlight was blocked by a tall figure. She snapped her head up and stared at the stranger. "Yes?" she questioned patiently.

"Hi," he greeted with a wide grin that made her question his sanity. "My name's Xander Bolton. I live across the street." He looked behind his shoulder and pointed towards the equally large, white house in front of hers.

She closed her eyes before standing up and staring at him. He had golden eyes that made him look innocent. His body build was medium but Blair could see him as a very muscular man. His hair was a dirty shade of blond, unlike her golden locks. His was almost black.

She found him nice and for a person who lived in a small town, he was cute and well-groomed. "Blair Evans," she offered her hand and he shook it lightly. "Pleasure to meet you." She gave him a perfected smile.

"So, you're Blair Evans." He nodded slowly. "My parents know yours. They mentioned that you're family was coming."

Blair simply shrugged. "And let me guess, they made you come here to welcome me. Am I right?"

He chuckled again. "No, actually, I wanted to meet you for myself." She was about to reply with something witty when a voice interrupted our conversation.

"Move it, Bolton." An arrogant voice came from behind him. It made Blair freeze with excitement, however, it was opposite for Xander. He scowled and turned around to see the owner of the smooth voice. "You've had the meet and greet, now leave."

Xander sneered but he still had the innocent aura around himself. "Why should I, Darbus?" Blair continued to watch the two boys glare at each other. "I came to meet the new girl and we're kind of talking. So, I think you should leave."

Cristiano simply scoffed and walked towards the place where Blair stood. "Well, Evans? Who do you want to leave?" His face gave her a familiar smirk that made her want to slap it away. _Familiar._

"Act civil, Darbus." She finally found her tongue. She gave him a long look, taking in his appearance. His brown hair was still as messy as ever. His pale white skin looked as if it shone under the bright sun. He was taller than she remembered. She could distinctly feel Xander's confused eyes look at her. "Well, haven't you . . . sprouted."

He gave out a chuckle. "You've always had a wonderful vocabulary, Evans." He gave her a grin before turning to Xander. "Alexander," his voice rolled out, sounding cold. "I see you're still keeping the irritating boy image. Excellent." Even she had to smirk at his reaction.

Xander stared at him before finally growling. "Don't push it, Darbus." He turned to her and flashed a small smile. "I'll just go visit later, Blair. Your house seems to be infected by a really big vermin." He walked away but Blair no longer watched him as her eyes went back to Cristiano.

"Darbus," Blair hissed quietly as she tried to ignore the urge to smile at him.

"He's a jerk, Evans." He shrugged as if that made everything better. "He's not good company."

"And you are?"

"Touché."

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen up, okay?" She sighed. "I missed you," she admitted, her eyes on the ground.

Cristiano's smirk grew more arrogant by the minute. "As if I didn't already know that," he answered haughtily. Her head snapped up to glare at him. "You just couldn't get enough of me. Admit it, that's why you moved. You begged your father to let you see me again because you just couldn't bear the pain."

Not to be outdone, she smirked and stared at his eyes. "Shut up."

* * *

Sharpay looked out of her window and sighed. Her body felt tired and weak; she felt as if all her energy had been sucked out of her. She never usually felt this tired. Maybe work was stressing her too much, or maybe it was because she was nearing the 40's stage.

Or maybe it was because she was going back home to see her daughter and the thought of it made her tense. Yes, she was sure this was the reason.

Her hands still fingered the small photo. She glanced back down at the girl and frowned. She was flying millions of miles away from her home to see a girl she didn't know. She didn't even know if her daughter wanted to see her. If her mother had done what she had, she would've hated her with a burning passion.

Sharpay didn't know that much about her daughter. She knew her name was Blair Hayden Evans. She knew she was seventeen, eighteen in two weeks. She knew her daughter was an overachiever. From what Ryan had told her, she was perfect in every way possible.

"Is that her, Miss Evans?" She looked behind her shoulder to see her maid peering at the picture.

Sharpay sighed lightly. "Yes, Glenda. That's _Hayden_." Her daughter's name rolled off her tongue easily, as if it was meant for her to say it over and over again. _It_ made her want to say it over and over again.

"She looks like you, Miss Evans." Glenda – she was always with her, no matter what. – commented. "Little Miss Sharpay."

"Yeah," She breathed. "I guess she does really look like me."

"Except for the eyes." Her old maid looked at her questioningly.

She closed her eyes and an uncontrollable smile graced her lips. "Those are her father's eyes." She fluttered her eyes open again and grimaced.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

* * *

**A/N:** I'd like to thank my beta, Kirsten. She's the best. :) BTW, Kirsten, I need my rant partner! I have lots to tell you! :)

Also, thanks to all who reviewed and alerted the story. And all the silent readers, thanks as well. I probably won't be adding A/N's anymore. It's a hassle. Huh. :P

Reviews are always welcome, no matter what kind they are. :)

-- Paula


	3. A Ghost? No, Wait, Shit, It's My Mother

**Chapter 2: **A Ghost? No, Wait, Shit, It's My Mother

**_Warning: _**_May contain mild swearing and underage drinking._

* * *

Blair snatched an apple from the kitchen and proceeded towards the living room where she lazily jumped onto the couch. Summer was absolutely dreadful. The town only had _one _mall. She was hoping to go around the different malls the other day, only to find out there was only one. She managed to loiter around that mall in two hours. And all her neighbors did was stare at her whenever she was outside. Had humanity forgotten manners now?

The only thing she liked about the town was the drama club. They were putting up a production in a month and auditions were next week. The club not only allowed her to join, but they accepted her warmly. It surprised even her. She expected people to act coldly around her. That just went to prove "never judge a book by its cover".

Kind of like her enemy-friend-thing who acts like a human just for show, as Blair quite often told him. Cristiano was the president of the club, not surprisingly. She knew that he loved the arts though his actions never gave one the impression. At first, even Blair thought he would be the sleazy, lazy boy who would sit at the back of the class and fail. But it turned out he was the lazy, sleazy, skillful boy who sat at the back of the class but still managed to earn a decent grade. Like her, he came from a family full of performers. His grandmother even taught Ryan and her mother a thing or two.

_He pulled her away from the others and leaned on the wall carefully. "I'm guessing you're planning on auditioning, right?" He questioned with an unreadable expression._

_Blair shrugged. "I wasn't not planning it." She sighed. "I'm not even sure I'll get the part. I'm sure some of them are better than me."_

_Darbus scoffed. "Right," He drawled out. "Audition. The part is yours, I'm sure of it."_

"_And you're auditioning?" She decided not to counter Cristiano. He knew the club better than her, anyway._

_And then, she wished she never questioned because if she didn't, she wouldn't see the horrible, arrogant smirk the idiot wore. "Expectedly," He looked at the crowd in front of them. "Bolton thinks he'll get the part - not a bloody chance."_

"_I wish I hadn't asked," she murmured and pushed herself away from the wall. "And just so we're clear, if we both get the lead roles and there's a kissing scene, I will give up my role in an instant, got that?" She glared. For once, he couldn't read her. He didn't know if she was joking or if she was actually serious. "I'd rather die than kiss you." She smiled lightly which finally caused him to chuckle in response._

Blair wasn't nervous. She knew she would be great at the auditions. She's been practicing every afternoon because, unlike any other teenager outside the town, she didn't have a life. Theatre was her life and from what she could remember, it had been her life ever since she could walk, talk, and watch. From what she knew, her mother was a great performer. Ryan told her she was the best, serious and striving.

Ryan had shown her a tape of the Evans Twins performing, and it was comparable to a professional performance. Everything was perfect. She had the most angelic voice Blair had ever heard. It was both soft and powerful at the same time. She kept the tape with her and whenever she felt like the world was against her likings, she would watch it and quiver in awe. Though Blair never met her mother, she was already her idol, her hero.

Thinking about her mother made her think about her father. Blair hadn't seen him since moving almost a week ago. Her nanny, Marie, told her that Zeke called two days ago when she was asleep. He was arriving on Monday - two days to go. The business had gotten better – if that was even possible – the café/bar her father opened ten years ago had been nothing but a hit.

Blair missed him. Even though, technically, she never talked to him unless spoken to. And Zeke never talked to her unless needed to. Let's just say that when the two of them were in the same room, it was nothing but awkward. Sometimes, Blair even thought there was this big, pink elephant that occupied the room with them. _Damn that elephant._

A maid approached her carefully, snapping her out of her own little world. "Miss Blair," she was holding out the cordless telephone that was hooked only yesterday. "There is a man on the other line demanding to talk to you." Her nervous voice trembled. "I told him you were busy, but he said it was important. . . "

She smiled tightly before grabbing the phone. Only one person would have the guts to demand to speak to her. The maid scurried off hurriedly as if Blair was going to bite her head off or something. She quietly wondered if she intimidated people that much . . .

"Let's get this over with," she muttered on the phone. "What do you want, Darbus?"

"You." His voice rang inside her ears. Her eyes rolled in annoyance and her lips released an irritated sound. "Lord, someone's a grouch this morning." Her throat was burning and her stomach was tossing and turning. She suddenly felt sick – she didn't know if it was because of the fact that she just realized _how_ messed up her life was, or if it was because of the sick, velvet, and perverted voice from the other line.

She sighed and shifted the phone on her other ear. "Albuquerque is like my own personal hell." She groaned and lied down on the white, leather couch. The fabric was sticking to her shoulders and legs; the heat of the summer was unbearable. That was _not_ helping.

"Accompany me to Bolton's parents' wedding anniversary tonight." She shifted back up and listened more carefully. She didn't want to go to a party where she didn't know anyone and everyone knew her – well, almost everyone. And the word Bolton rang inside her head – she couldn't deal with a mild version of Cristiano Darbus whose only difference to the real person was the fact that he always tried to hog her attention and followed her everywhere. It was kind of freaking her out; his actions reminding her of a stalker.

In regular Blair Evans fashion, she replied,"Asshole." She grabbed a band from her arm and messily tied her hair up in a ponytail as she juggled the phone on her shoulder. "Are you honestly trying to kill me? Put me in a party full of people who know each other who probably know my entire family history?"

"Relax," he told her. "Ryan's going to be there, so you'll have someone. Pick you up at 7." And just like that, the dial tone went off. Okay, that was it. Blair officially hated him. Who did he think he was, ordering her around, telling her to go to some party where she didn't know anybody?

She stomped upstairs and allowed herself a well-earned, bloodcurdling scream that echoed inside the house. Feeling her throat tremble and burn with pain made her feel better. Her chest felt lighter, it was as if the weight on her shoulders were lifted.

And then the unthinkable happened. Her stomach rumbled, shooting excruciating pain throughout her body. Her legs ran as fast as they could and her hand automatically placed itself in front of her mouth to stop whatever it was. The feeling of something coming back up was unpleasant. What was more unpleasant? The taste was horrible – almost metallic.

With her head bowed towards the porcelain bowl and her body giving off wretched sounds, Blair never looked so vulnerable.

_Calling the attention of this troubled, little girl's parents – she needs you._

* * *

Sharpay felt truly happy for her friends – could she call them her friends? They were close, but never close enough. And the fact that she acted truly horrible towards them numerous times still lingered in her head. Just when she thought she would have Ryan to talk to, he was off somewhere talking with the happy, still-married couple. She agreed to come because she wanted to talk to everybody. She didn't think that talking to them would actually mean that she was the one to actually talk to them, to approach them.

Sharpay hadn't talked to them since she was twenty-two. What could she say to them? It wasn't as if she could just waltz towards them and say, 'Hey guys, sorry I haven't talked to you since forever. I just needed to abandon my daughter and leave. I didn't want to call because you guy probably hate me.'

That fact caused her to sit alone on the bar stool, a martini in hand and her expression bitter.

As if her daughter would actually come to this party, right? She actually thought – no, wait, hoped – that her daughter would somehow come here unaccompanied by the father. Of course, it was never easy for her. She had to whisk her daughter away the hard way.

_She was lying on the bed, her eyes closed and her lips in a lazy smile. Her senior exams were finally done; she could actually graduate college and just be done with it all. She would never touch another book again._

"_Happy 21st birthday." A smile appeared on her face as she felt strong arms wrap themselves around her waist. He kissed her cheek lightly and smiled as well._

"_Thanks." She closed her eyes and sighed contently. He rolled off her bed and grabbed a package from the bedside table. He glanced at her figure that was sprawled on the bed, her beautiful, captivating eyes closed. And then the butterflies resurrected. After all these years, he still couldn't believe she was his and his alone._

"_I've got you a present." Zeke lied back down on the bed next to her._

_She snapped her eyes open and sat up. "Hmm, really?" She sounded nonchalant, but she knows he knew better. Whenever presents were involved, Sharpay was a like a kid during Christmas._

_She snuggled next to him and he gave her the wrapped present. After opening it, a crazy look was on her face, but the disbelief was obviously evident. "Are you drunk or high or something like that?" She questioned and slammed the book on the bed. Basketball for Dummies, wonderful._

_Zeke sighed dramatically and grabbed her hands. He carefully slipped the blinding ring on her slim finger. "I guess," he breathed slowly, "I'll have a lifetime to make up for this one birthday."_

_Her breathing stopped and her posture went rigid under his arms. Her eyes were glued on her hand as she continued to gaze at it intently. "Wow."_

"_I do hope 'wow' equals 'yes'." He smiled at her widely, his eyes dancing with joy._

"_Do it properly." She barked out. "I want to tell our children the romantic story of how you proposed. So, come on, on your knees. And tell me the whole classic, 'Will you marry me' speech I've seen on TV thousands of times."_

_Zeke looked uncomfortable. "Sharpay," he whined._

"_Oh, come on, Zeke."_

_He scoots of the bed and kneels next to her. "Are you sure?" He twirled the ring on her finger. She nodded and placed both of her hands on either sides of his face. Leaning in slowly, she placed her lips on top of his._

"_I'm engaged," she murmured. "How odd."_

Sharpay sighed and mentally scolded herself for being so careless. Thinking of the past - of _him_- was never a good idea. She had done so well convincing herself that after seventeen years she didn't love him anymore. But no, she didn't – she couldn't.

"Well, well, well," a voice came from beside her, catching her off guard. "What do we have here?"

She glanced at the man and a small smile broke into her face. "Danforth," she greeted, "I could say pleasure to meet you, but honestly, I'd be lying."

Chad chuckled and ordered water from the bartender. "The Great Sharpay Evans, back from wherever she was," he started, "but no extravagant party to welcome her back? Are you losing your touch?"

She shook her head and sipped from her drink. "I just came here to wish Troy and Gabriella congratulations. I mean, come on, it's been a long time."

"True."

She hummed quietly before remembering something. "Where's Taylor?"

At the sound of her name, Chad's face immediately broke out into another one of his wide smiles. "At home," Sharpay noted the beaming expression of the boy she once despised. "She's taking care of our four year old daughter and our seven year old son."

"That's wonderful, congratulations." Chad continued to chatter away but something caught her attention. Something that made her skin cold and her posture freeze. Her eyes were transfixed on that one lone figure. Her breathing had momentarily stopped because of that one person. Chad's buzzing was mentally silenced, all her organs stopping.

Across the room, a glass in hand was her daughter – _her _daughter. Blair Hayden Evans-Baylor was across the room, looking directly at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. Ryan was right, she was beautiful. Exactly like her though there was something different – something Sharpay just couldn't place. Hayden opened her mouth and then closed it quickly again.

Sharpay shook her head for a moment and took a small sip. Lifting her head back again, expecting to see her exact carbon copy but the vision was gone. Chad's chattering came back and everything seemed to blur again. She excused herself and walked towards the restroom.

Maybe she's had too much to drink and jet lag was getting the best of her. She was starting to have hallucinations of Hayden. She didn't want to reach the point where she going to start having hallucinations of the father – that would just make her insane.

* * *

Blair smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles on her dress. With her arm hooked through Cristiano's, the two walked in looking as if they owned the place. Blair was an actress; she couldn't and wouldn't let anyone know her weaknesses. So when she met up with Darbus, she acted as if she hadn't been upset with him. He didn't seem to notice, after all.

Cristiano introduced her to several people who she now couldn't remember the names of. But all of them were completely nice to her, which was a plus.

"Blair," Alexander popped out of nowhere just as they were getting their drinks from a waiter. He completely ignored Darbus which amused her in some ways. "Nice of you to come to my parents' anniversary – I'm sure they'd like to meet you, I've been telling them a lot about you."

She smiled tightly and removed her arm from Darbus'. "Excuse me," She whispered and smirked when Cristiano grimaced. "I'd love to meet them, I'm sure they're lovely." She gave Darbus one last fleeting glance before following Xander towards a pretty looking couple.

She watched Bolton warmly wrap his arms around his parents'. He was towering over his mother and almost becoming taller than his father. "Mom, Dad," He smiled widely towards Blair. "This is Blair Baylor, the girl I've been telling you about."

She gave them her most charming smile. But her insides were squirming; Alexander made it sound like they were dating. And she was not currently and would not ever date someone as irritating as Alexander Bolton. "Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, pleasure to meet you – happy anniversary as well."

Mrs. Bolton was beautiful, to say the least. Her long brunette locks were curled up in a bun and her dress fitted her perfectly. And Mr. Bolton was to _swoon _for. Now she knew where their son got his looks. He had shaggy blond hair that was messy in a perfect way.

She somehow envied this family. All were beautiful and they were close to each other, obviously. Now, why couldn't she have something like that? A father that actually looked at her and cared for her and a mother that would feed her home cooked meals that would taste nothing but delicious.

"Blair," Mrs. Bolton had a warm smile. She had a feeling she would grow to like this woman. "Call me Gabriella, please. Mrs. Bolton makes me sound so old." She turned towards her husband, "This is Troy, Xander's father."

Mr. Bolton smiled as well. And then something clicked in her head. "Oh – my father wishes well by the way. He asked me to apologize for his absence. Work has been hectic." If there was one thing she learned while growing up – appearances were everything. She wasn't about to let her father ruin his image. These people here were his best friends in the past.

Troy nodded, "Well, tell Zeke thanks and I hope to see him, soon." She was starting to feel awkward with Xander's family looking at her – especially Mrs. Bolton. She seemed to be studying Blair carefully. She didn't even know these people. Blair excused herself and hastily left before Alexander could even follow her.

She took her drink and stayed at a corner. Normally, she would be chatting with everyone, letting everyone know who she was. But today was not her day. As she searched the room, she almost spit back her champagne in shock. She was just sitting there, chatting up with some guy with freaky hair. She had a martini in hand. She was drinking her drink, Blair's _favourite_ drink.

They seemed more alike than she thought. She was like her in some a complex way that probably didn't matter to anyone but her.

Her head turned and locked eyes with Blair. Her face turned white and Blair wondered what she was thinking. She could barely think herself. She opened her mouth and tried to say something. But she couldn't just say, 'Mother, please love me and my father. Make him look at me again. I need a family.'

Besides, the fact occurred to her that Sharpay was too far away to even be heard, so she closed her mouth. She watched her mother shake her head and took it as a sign to leave. Turning around quickly, she blended in the crowd easily. She pushed against the angry socialites and tried to find Darbus. She had to get out of here and she needed his help. Fight or not, she needed him.

Coming here was a bad idea. It was Cristiano Darbus' idea, of course it was bad. Why did she even agree to this?

She found him chatting up with some lady who had the most horribly-shown cleavage. It was like she wasn't even covering it up. "Oh Lord," she muttered before walking towards them and dragging Darbus by the hand towards the exit.

She turned around and met the face of an amused man. "I need you to help me," his eyes turned worried and she just shook her head. "Let's go get drunk, smashed, or whatever the else you want to call it." She grabbed his hand and flagged the first cab she saw.

Darbus smirked and helped her inside. Blair was grateful he understood that a person had their boundaries and she just crossed hers.

Hours later, or maybe days – Blair wasn't so sure anymore. They just entered their third bar that night. For the five days she'd spent there, she hadn't fully appreciated Albuquerque but now she did. Who knew a small town like that would have so many bars? She couldn't remember why they had been kicked out of the first bar. She seemed to recall a fight with the bartender where Darbus had to pry her away. And she vaguely remembered their second bar closing. Lately, her memory had been buzzing.

She was sitting on a bar stool watching Darbus and some guys play pool. She wasn't sure if Darbus really knew these guys or not. She couldn't remember what they told her. Her best friend was losing horribly though.

She didn't notice Darbus excuse himself. One of the guys, Adam or was it Harold? Whatever, one of them gave her favourite drink – her _mother's_ drink. She could clearly see it bubbling but she took the glass without hesitation. She just couldn't let her mother's drink go to waste. That would be horrible. She looked around for Darbus but she couldn't see the familiar set of messy brown hair.

She downed the drink with a smile. The rest of the night went on, her ears were buzzing and her throat was burning. Her head was throbbing as well. And she could no longer distinguish the difference between her right and left hands. She started to feel lightheaded. All her worries were starting to float away. She no longer cares anymore. The big cloud of worries and fears were vanishing.

She was no longer afraid of the fact that _maybe she wasn't pretty enough_ for her mother.

Her fear of _not being smart enough_ for her was no longer present as well.

For the first time, she wasn't worried about the fact that maybe she _would never be good enough_ for her mother . . . _or her father._

Then like a whispering sound at the back of her head, she could hear her name being called by Darbus' voice. He was pleading . . . pleading for her to stay awake a little longer. He was panicking, frantically asking her to stay with him.

The place started to fade away, like some sort of dream.

She didn't want him to panic.

_And then, she slept._

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Haha. Reviews are welcome no matter what kind they are. :D**

_Next Chapter: A confused and angry mother, a worried and panicking father, and a passed out daughter. What's a godfather to do?_


	4. There’s So Much Hate and Love, It's Sad

**Chapter 3**: There's So Much Hate and Love at the Same Time, It's Sad

By: beachbumyeahh

* * *

Family gatherings had long been forgotten by the Evans family. They wouldn't allow such events to happen without the presence of every member of the family. So, when they finally did have Sharpay back, they threw their traditional Evans Saturday Brunch.

Ryan laughed at something their father said, he was not the only one, as laughter rang from their backyard. They were all stationed outside, eating their bagels and drinking coffee. He and Sharpay visited their parents who were staying at their old house. He couldn't deny that he didn't feel nostalgic walking down the familiar halls. Nostalgia was basically rolling off his aura.

He glanced at his parents and the smile that lit up his face was uncontrollable. They were glowing and happy. His father finally trusted him enough to hand him down the family business. He finally believed that Ryan could do it. And his mother, well, he never really had problems with her. He was, after all, a momma's boy. That was one fact he could never deny.

And then his eyes shifted towards his older twin sister, Sharpay. From a stranger's view, she would seem like the perfectly happy woman. But no, Ryan knew her better than anyone. He knew that tight smile and what it meant. He knew the reason why she was here. He knew she wanted to get her daughter and bring her home.

But he didn't know why she hadn't yet - when Sharpay Evans wanted something, she was going to get it _one way or another._

Since coming home, she hasn't talked with him much. She was just so closed off, so private about her personal life. She used to like having everyone know what was happening, but now she just wouldn't talk anymore. Ryan wasn't even sure if this was the same person he grew up with.

Ryan wondered if Zeke knew that Sharpay was back, that she was in the same town as his daughter. Judging by his goddaughter's reports – more like complaints, – he hadn't come home since he shipped Blair to Albuquerque.

If he had things his way, he would have Blair and Zeke with them. And maybe everything would be better, including his sister. This thought made him frown and Ryan wished his girlfriend was here to support him. This family drama just got to be too much sometimes.

He glanced at Sharpay again and found her looking at him with a worried expression. It must have been some twin telepathy _thing_.

"Are you okay?" She mouthed at him. This went unnoticed by their parents who were too absorbed in their conversation about the bombing in another country.

He nodded and waved his hand carelessly. The last thing he needed was his sister worrying about him when he was worrying about her.

One of the maids, Melissa, approached the table carefully. Ryan focused on her and noted that she looked quite perturbed. Though, almost all of their helpers seemed nervous around Mr. Evans and Sharpay. Ryan wouldn't disagree; they were pretty intimidating when they wanted to be.

"Excuse me, sir, miss." She performed a small curtsy before looking directly at him. "Ryan . . ." She started off, her voice sounded quite suspicious. "There are two teenagers at the door. They are demanding to see you."

He excused himself and walked towards the front door, inwardly curious as to who would be _demanding _to see him on a Saturday. He didn't know a lot of teenagers here, just a couple of sons and daughters of his friends. Opening the door, his breath hitched, his heart started to beat faster, and he felt himself grow a little bit paler.

Cristiano Darbus looked at him apologetically, his attire disheveled along with his hair. His lower lip had a deep cut, one eye was bloodshot, the other swelling in different shades of black and blue. Ryan's never seen him act like this – he seemed older and more mature. He was supporting a tiny figure Ryan never would've noticed if Cristiano hadn't moved to support it better.

He stared silently at the pair, his mouth slightly opened in disbelief.

Cristiano started to fidget. "Hey," his voice sounded completely unlike it originally did. It sounded weak and there wasn't a trace of arrogance in his tone. "I never thought any of this could happen . . . it just all went to me so fast, I just couldn't –"

Ryan shook his head, not wanting to hear anything come from him. He carefully took Hayden into his arms, her body light and almost lifeless. Her head rolled back and her eyes were barely open. She looked so fragile and weak.

"Blair, honey," Ryan pulled her closer. "I need you stay awake for a few more minutes, okay?"

She lifted her eyelids a centimeter and looked at him. "Don't call Dad," she whispered before Ryan felt her pass out in his arms.

Worry shot through his body like a jolt of electricity. He needed to take care of Hayden. He was the godfather, and whenever her parents were not present, he would have to act as the parent. Ryan's body was unnaturally cold and stiff, as if all the life had been sucked out of him.

_Zeke_. How was he going to explain this? He didn't even know where the guy was. He was supposed to take care of his daughter. Zeke trusted him to take care of her.

And then, it hit him. _Sharpay_. She was just outside. And he was holding her daughter who was currently unconscious and intoxicated. If she just happened to walk inside, he wouldn't know what to do.

A tired voice snapped him out of his own little, worrying world. "Your servants told me you were here. I didn't know where else to go. Her father might be at her house and I thought . . ."

Ryan looked at Cristiano with cold eyes that were trained by a professional, his sister, of course. "Get out of my house." He turned around and walked upstairs towards one of the guest bedrooms, not bothering to look back. He heard the door softly shut and guessed that the boy had already left. He closely looked out for any of his family members that might be inside.

He didn't want Sharpay and his parents to finally meet his goddaughter when she was intoxicated. That just wouldn't look good from _anyone's_ point of view, even his.

Ryan moved to the second floor until he arrived at the guest bedroom. Setting her on the bed, he called the country club's personal doctor. He was one of the best doctors in Albuquerque. He instructed Melissa to lead the doctor to the guest bedroom and to tell the family that he was busy with business and would be out as soon as it was done.

He grabbed a chair and sat next to the troubled girl on the bed. He grasped Hayden's cold hand with his. This felt so wrong; she was so cold and looked so lifeless. Her eyes were tightly shut and her hair was all over the place. If she were awake, she would've already performed magic on herself to look neat again.

In his opinion, the doctor took way too much time to get there. It almost made him want to fire the guy, but that would be silly. He was an excellent doctor. And this was his godchild he was checking on – and God be damned, he would fight an army just for her to have the best.

Ryan fidgeted beside the bed as he waited for the doctor to finish. Finally, he looked at him, shaking his head lightly.

"It seems to have been some sort of drug that did this to her. It's nothing serious, I assure you. I would advise you to keep her here and just let her sleep it off. I give it two or three days before she wakes up." The old doctor smiled at him and walked towards the door. "Give her painkillers when she wakes up. Her head will be pounding."

Ryan exited the room and by this time, it was already dark outside. He was still silently wondering how Hayden ended up passed out – from drugs to make it worse. She'd always been the good girl. At times, she might like to party and drink, but she knew the boundaries. She knew when to not cross the line.

Striding inside the living room, he found Sharpay lounging on the sofa.

"Hey," she greeted. "Where've you been?"

And there's that lump in his throat that's begging him to tell the truth. "Business," he lied without any struggle. She seemed to have accepted it as well because she flipped her hair and entered her own world again. She looked deep in thought. He silently wondered what she would do when she found out her daughter's just upstairs. He left the room and took out his phone.

He dialed the third number in his speed dial and waited for that familiar voice. "Zeke?"

"Ryan," his voice sounded like he was actually expecting him. "I just stepped off the airport. I decided to surprise Hayden and come home early. What's up?"

"Zeke, you need to come to the house." Ryan rubbed his head slowly. "The old house."

"Why?"

"Hayden's here. She's passed out in the guest bedroom. You _need_ to be here when she wakes up."

Silence rang inside Ryan's ears as he waited for Zeke to reply. "I'll be there." The call instantly ended without any goodbyes.

He put away the phone and entered Hayden's room. She looked so troubled, even when she slept. Everything was going to be fine, he had to convince himself. Zeke was in Albuquerque, he'd be there at any moment. Zeke's voice sounded so neutral, so emotionless, it scared him.

* * *

Zeke sat in the car as he watched the houses go by. "Can't you go any faster?" His voice was loud, almost echoing inside the car. He had so many questions but he didn't have the answers. Ryan's phone call made him numb. The image of his daughter – passed out from whatever – floating inside his mind. He couldn't feel angry or sad, because nothing else mattered anymore.

He let something bad happen to his daughter. He promised he would never let anything bad happen to her. The memories just came flooding back to him . . . every bit of trouble he went through . . .

_A hand clasped my back; I turned to see Ryan looking at me with what I interpreted as tired, pitiful eyes. His lips moved, he must have been saying something. I started to tune everything out yesterday. I moved my gaze from him to the little bundle of blankets in front of me. Only this thin piece of glass is in our way. _

_She was wriggling inside her crib. Her arms were waving around angrily and her legs were moving everywhere as she kicked them in the air. She looked so irritated – it would've been an adorable moment if I hadn't known why she was there. She was sick. That little innocent baby was sick. She'd been living in this world for two days and already she'd been having difficulties. _

_I loved her and disliked her at the same time._

_She was so much like her mother. I loved that fact. From what it looked like, she had a short fuse – exactly like her mother. Her lips, her nose;, she was completely like her in every way possible. But, she had my eyes and her skin was almost tan. And her hair – she had undistinguishable hair. Was it blond, black, what? _

"_She looks so beautiful," I mused, finally letting the world in. _

_Ryan stopped talking and glanced at his niece. "She is, isn't she?"_

_And I just stood there, marveling that she was my daughter. I helped in that. I was a part of her. She was my daughter._

"_Maybe you should get some rest, Zeke," Ryan finally advised._

"_I'm not resting until Hayden's resting." That was the first time I'd ever said her name. That was the first time I'd ever even acknowledged that she had a name. _

"Sir," a trembling voice snapped him out of reverie. "We've arrived."

Without any more words, he opened the door and marched outside. He had to stop for a moment to stare at the house in front of him. It felt as if the house had sent a jolt of electricity throughout his body. Memories, more and more, started to make an appearance in his mind. It was forcing him to look back at memories he didn't wish to remember. It took almost all of his courage just to stop himself from turning around and leaving the wretched place.

He should've knocked on the door. Besides, it wasn't his house. He should've knocked and waited instead of striding inside with a panicked look on his face. If he did, he wouldn't be standing still, holding onto the door while staring at the face of Sharpay Evans, _the devil incarnate._

Zeke certainly didn't expect seeing the one person he least wanted to see. And it didn't help one bit that she was still as gorgeous as ever.

They stared at each other silently. Zeke inwardly wondered if her heart was racing because his was. In fact, it was the fastest it had been since he could remember. She looked the same. Her golden hair cascaded down her face to her shoulders where it stayed contently. Age never made a difference to her. She still lit the room wherever she went. He wanted to see her smile – to see if it was still the smile that haunted his dreams.

Silence followed for a few more seconds before she finally responded. "Zeke?"

Ryan suddenly appeared and shoved Sharpay out of the way while muttering something he couldn't catch. He placed a hand on his back and ushered him upstairs and into the room where his daughter stayed, quickly closing the door as well.

Zeke almost fainted at the sight of his daughter. She was sleeping – but something was completely wrong about the picture. Moving slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed next to Hayden. He took one of her limp, lifeless hands and tucked a lost strand of hair off of her face.

"Hayden?" He whispered softly. Zeke almost felt afraid to wake her up. "Baby?"

Hayden fluttered her eyes open, revealing her very own set of bloodshot eyes. She looked so tired, so sleepy; Zeke wasn't sure how much his daughter was processing right then. Her head must have been hurting so badly right then.

"Hey, baby," he let out a small smile at the sight of his daughter actually still breathing. "Everything's going to be okay, now. I'm here."

She closed her eyes again and flashed him a tired, toothy smile. It reminded him of when she was younger – innocent and clueless of the horrors that haunter this world. "I got smashed." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Or drunk, I'm not sure." Her voice sounded so raspy.

Zeke sighed and ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay, Hayden," he assured her. "Just go back to sleep, honey." He squeezed her hand gently, as if to reassure her further.

"_I saw her and I just lost it. She was breathtaking, Dad._"

The "her" Hayden was referring to didn't need to be explained. Everyone in the room knew who "she" was.

Zeke bent down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight, Hayden."

Without any further hesitation, Hayden closed her eyes and soon, sounds of sleep came from her figure. Zeke stood up and walked around the room, biting the inside of his cheeks until it started to bleed.

He rubbed his temples slowly. "This is so messed up."

Indeed, it was.

* * *

Sharpay stayed inside the living room. She couldn't go home without Ryan. She was, in fact, staying at his house anyway. Her head was buzzing a little; too much has happened that day. Zeke was back but he was with Ryan, who'd been acting strangely since that morning. Nothing was making much sense to her.

She cradled her head in her hands, remembering the last time she'd seen the man who made her heart start again.

_She opened her eyes silently. It had been a day since she'd given birth to her unknown baby. She didn't know her name. After all, she'd been asleep ever since pushing that baby out. She felt lightheaded; she was definitely drained of all energy. _

_She found some clothes in her room and now she was watching her unnamed baby from the nursery. Where were the others, she silently wondered. Why was no one there to smile at her when her eyes opened? Where was Zeke? Nobody was watching her baby – no family, no friends of hers, either. _

_Sharpay found her daughter struggling with wires all over her. _

_And she suddenly realized she couldn't do it. She couldn't raise a daughter alone. Nobody was here, they all left. All she had to do was to leave quietly as well. Sharpay knew this wasn't going to work from the start. But she grew to hope that when the time came to give birth, she would love the idea of being a mother. But, the time had come and she still wasn't ready._

_So, she ran and flagged the first cab she saw._

"_Wait," a voice stopped her from placing a foot inside the cab. "What are you doing, Sharpay?"_

_She stared at Zeke's confused eyes. And it hurt – it hurt her to look at him because he was there when she thought nobody would be. And it hurt because she had to leave him behind._

"_Goodbye." She grasped his hand tightly before leaving him, staring from outside the cab. She would never forget the look in his eyes – the broken, confused look._

She heard a shaky cough pull her out of her memories. Looking up, she found Zeke standing near the entrance door. She tried not to feel like she was on fire just because of her old flame's presence.

So much for the "_avoid the father at all costs_" thing.

He looked uncomfortable and tired.

"Zeke?" She questioned uncertainly. He looked so much more different but she could still see her Zeke – _her_ _basketball loving, cookie-baking boyfriend_. She fumbled with her fingers nervously.

He sighed and sat on a chair a few good feet away from her. She supposed it was better that there were some space between them. Being so close to him wouldn't do her any good.

"I don't know why you're here or why now, of all the years you could've come to Albuquerque," he struggled with his words. "But listen, Sharpay, you're not allowed to see our daughter."

His words continued to play like a broken record. His sentence was the only thing her universe was revolving around. "_What_."

"Hate me all you want, Sharpay." He stared at her, unflinching at her heated, angry gaze. "Our daughter is upstairs, passed out from alcohol and drugs. It was because of you that she's like that. You're her mother and you've been absent from her life ever since she was born. Your twin has been spending more time with her than you, her mother. How do you think that fact affected her?"

Her daughter was passed out from alcohol and drugs? "My daughter's been upstairs all day and nobody told me?" Her voice was slowly rising per word. It wasn't her fault that her daughter was hurt. Her eyes were glittering dangerously, anger clearly evident. If looks could kill, Zeke would've been dead by now. Ryan stepped inside the room and approached them. "You've been keeping my daughter away from me." She silently added her brother in the list she was planning inside her head.

"_Sharpay_ . . ." He drawled out.

"As godfather, he did what was best," Zeke told her. "I don't want you anywhere near my daughter, Sharpay. You left, that was your decision, and you deal with the consequences."

Sharpay snapped her head towards him in a second. "Would you just wait a goddamn minute?" She cursed before turning back to her twin brother. "I trusted you. You knew what my intentions were and you didn't bother to tell me that my daughter is upstairs, passed out!" Ryan only gazed at the floor, refusing to see her burning eyes. Her mind was buzzing and her heart was beating erratically.

"Your intentions?" Zeke questioned, his voice getting louder. "Sharpay, as long as I am here, you will never see her." All his mind could think about was the idea of Hayden loving Sharpay and then leaving her like she had left him. He had to protect his little girl from getting hurt like that. The pain was unbearable – believe him, he's still suffering from the pain.

"I'm her mother, for Christ's sake!" She stood up and took two strides towards him. Her insides were burning with anger. "You can't keep me away from my own daughter. What if she wants to see me? Would you strip her away of her rights?"

Zeke stood up, as well. "If she wanted to see you, she would've contacted you _years_ ago."

"You can't keep away from my own daughter!" Her voice rose an octave as his statement made its effect on her. Her parents quickly made their way inside; wanting to see what was with all the screaming. "She's my daughter, Zeke! I have the right!"

"You left, Sharpay! You made the decision to leave us. You don't deserve to be in her life!" He walked towards the entrance door and looked at her. "I'm allowing her to sleep off the drugs here. This is the only time I'm letting you see her. I will be here once she wakes up and you will never see her again."

Sharpay felt numb as she watched him walk out of her house, out of her life. But she couldn't think of him – it hurt too much. Her feet unconsciously made their way towards the stairs, leaving everybody behind. Her daughter needed her. And she would _not_ go anywhere until Hayden told her she didn't want to see her.

"I don't care the fuck about what Zeke Baylor says."

* * *

AN: You know the drill. Review and tell me you freaking hate it. =) Or maybe, for some reason I can never explain, you happen to like it and review. Anything's cool with me. =) Thanks to my beta, I've been forgetting to thank her. Kirsten? Thanks. :D


	5. Going Against The World

**Chapter 4**: Going Against The World

By: beachbumyeahh

* * *

Sharpay felt cold. She sat on the farthest corner away from the sleeping being on the bed. It was almost sunrise and her eyes never left Hayden. She quietly watched her sleep – entranced by her slow and steady breaths, her mindless murmurs at night. She looked so fragile, as if she was made out of glass – and that fact made Sharpay afraid to approach.

Her eyes were begging for her to take some rest but she wouldn't allow herself that privilege. She wouldn't let her eyes move away from her daughter's sleeping figure because she knows – she knows that when Hayden wakes up_, it's all over_. She could never see her again because Hayden wouldn't want to see her again. After all, she'd abandoned her and Zeke. Hayden would be too disgusted to spend time with her bad mother.

She's a bad mother. She _knew _that.

Sharpay bit her lower lip again until it bled. The metallic taste was sickening but it made her feel better. For some odd reason, it did. Maybe it was because of sleep deprivation or something, she thought.

Beside the bed, a tray full of food awaited. She ordered food from the maids downstairs a few minutes ago. Nobody was awake, but she had woken them up to cook. She crossed her arms and sighed. Sharpay wondered if Hayden was allergic to anything on the tray. She hoped not – she didn't want to look like a fool and give her something she hated. What if her daughter was lactose intolerant? What if she gave her something that could kill her? She highly doubted that, but she couldn't help but think negative thoughts.

She stood up and approached Hayden when she started to stir in her sleep. Her daughter was starting to worry her – she was mumbling and her eyebrows were knitted together while her lips were in a frown. She kneeled down and ran her thumb down her cheek. "Hey, Hayden," She cooed. Her vision was blurring – unwanted tears were actually surfacing. Her other hand was resting on her daughter's arm. "Don't worry, baby. Whatever you're dreaming about, it's not real. Whatever nightmare it is, don't worry about it, okay?" She whispered softly as she tucked a lost strand of hair.

She fought back the tears, refusing to let them fall. Sharpay allowed a small sigh to escape her lips. "I know I haven't been around, and mommy's sorry for that, okay? There isn't a day where I don't regret leaving you and your father. I regret never seeing you grow up and I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me – mommy's sorry for a lot of things, Hayden. But I want you to know that I love you. You're my daughter and I'll always be here for you_. _But sooner or later, I have to go again, because daddy's not going to like me being with you. I _don't _want to go, but mommy has to follow whatever daddy thinks is best."

Sharpay talked to her daughter as if she was a small child because that was what Hayden looked like. She looked so childlike and vulnerable and all Sharpay wanted to do was to take care of her. "You might hate me and don't worry about it, I won't love you less if you do. If I were you, I would hate me, too." The corner of her lips tugged into a small, sad smile. "I guess – what I'm trying to say is that, I might not be here, but when you want me to be just tell me or Ryan. Just call and I'll come running, okay?"

Hayden finally relaxed in her sleep as her breathing turned normal again. Her eyebrows went back to their smooth positions awhile ago and her lips were resting in a relaxed smile. "I love you, Hayden. And I'm sorry." Tears that she desperately tried to stop now flowed down her cheeks. Sharpay kissed the top of her head before standing back up. She glanced around the room and sighed. She would need to fix herself up – she just simply refuses to let anyone see her weaknesses.

* * *

Blair heard the door open; praying that somehow one of her maids would be coming up with some pain killers. Her head felt like it was splitting into two. Her whole world was spinning quite painfully. All she wanted was to slip into a hole and hide there forever. She carefully sat up and saw the tray of food beside her.

It was a lot. She wasn't hungry. Her maids never gave her this much breakfast. She actually felt a little sick looking at the supposedly appetizing food.

Something was wrong.

She glanced around and finally noticed her surroundings. This wasn't _her_ room. This wasn't _her_ bed.

"Oh, crap, crap, crap," she muttered, lifting the sheets to look at herself. "Clothed – clothed is good, clothed means I just slept." She ran a hand through her tangled hair while her mind racked to remember what the heck happened last night. She went to a party with Darbus. Stuff happened at the party – she just couldn't remember what. And, oh.

Blair could remember an older version of herself staring at her. Sharpay Evans looking at her – directly at her, which meant she saw her. And oh, she just saw her mother – her mother who abandoned her, her mother who gave her and her father so much hurt, who she hadn't ever met personally. And then, oh no. She could remember drinks and passing out and she could vaguely remember her father's face. But that could've been a dream, she couldn't really tell.

She scooted towards the edge of the bed and took the glass of water from the tray while mumbling, "You-"She thought of a name of the possible maid to come upstairs, but a name just wouldn't come up. "You – listen, you don't happen to have some painkillers, do you? Maybe a bottle of Advil or two. . . "

Blair didn't hear a reply, so she glanced up and realized why.

It was her mother. She was right there, in front of her with a bottle of painkillers. She was right there! If she wanted to, she could probably reach out and touch her. But she wouldn't do that – that would just seem so odd. She should say something; she tried to think of something witty but the only thought coming to mind was: _wow _and she must have looked so horrible from Sharpay's eyes. Her hair must have been sticking up from every angle and her eyes must be blood red. She must have been thinking along the lines of, _what on Earth is this? Am I supposed to believe that this is my daughter?_

They stared at each other for an eternity before she walked towards the bed and silently handed her the bottle, which she took gratefully. Blair watched her mother grab the chair from the corner and sit a couple of feet away from her. Sharpay looked at the bottle in her hands and she finally took the hint. She took two pills and drank them together with water. She could almost hear her head thank her for the drugs to help the ache.

She felt more uncomfortable than ever. But she desperately regained her composure and finally took notice of her mouth that was hanging open, _again_. She breathed carefully before composing her face in a "I-don't-care-how-I-look-because-I-know-I'm-still-gorgeous" look. She really didn't think she looked gorgeous at the moment, but she had that look memorized since she was ten.

Blair didn't plan to meet Sharpay for the first time like this. She was aiming for a more elegant meeting where she descended down the stairs with a very beautiful dress that would make any girl drool. Never had she imagined meeting her after a night of drinks where she looked like she went to hell and back.

Sharpay cleared her throat and spoke first. Blair didn't know if she was comforted by this fact or not. "There's food, if you're hungry." She made a sweeping gesture with her hand towards the full tray of food. Somehow, just waving her hand made her look elegant, picturesque and benevolent.

"Yeah." She could seriously slap herself. The very first word she told her was yeah. How illiterate could she be? She had a much bigger vocabulary than most of the teens in her generation and all she could mutter was yeah. "Sorry," she muttered. "What I meant was, I'm not really that hungry at the moment."

Sharpay's lips twitched into a smile and all Blair could hear was her heart pounding proudly. She was smiling at her! Blair couldn't help but smile at her as well. But the awkwardness was still eating her alive. This had been the most awkward moment in her life.

"Your father's coming by later."

Her face actually lit up in surprise and happiness. "Oh?" Her family was actually going to be complete. They were all going to be in the same room at the same time. A family – she was finally going to have a normal family. Her insides were actually jumping with joy because of this news. Her father must be so happy to see her mother again. She would never have to see the pain in his eyes. If there was a moment where she thought the world wasn't against her, this was it.

"He's going to take you home."

She just couldn't help but ask. "Are you – are you?" She stuttered, not really knowing how to say "_are you going to fix your mistakes?" _to her own mother. It really wasn't the best conversation to have. Her lips twitched upwards; she obviously couldn't wait for the answer that would change her life.

Sharpay shook her head slowly, an unreadable expression on her face. "No." She deadpanned, no longer saying anything.

Blair hated that her face fell when she heard her answer. She hated the fact that her heart fell and broke into pieces. She hated the fact that the image of a family – her _happy_ family suddenly vanished. She hated the fact that she could be happy but life was always unfair when it came to Blair Evans. "But – but father?"

"It was his idea."

It killed her to know that after everything she put up with her father, he was the one to give up the idea of family. She always thought it was _her and her father _against the world. She had gotten it wrong, apparently. It was her against the world – the world along with her parents.

* * *

Sharpay felt her heart break into tiny little pieces when she saw her daughter's face fall from across her. Her red, ruby lips slowly formed into a frown. She couldn't stop the motherly instinct that hit her like a ten-wheeler truck. She stood up and engulfed her in a tight hug. They both sat on the bed in a weird kind of sideward hug that only they could pull off. She wondered if this felt weird to her – hugging a woman she barely knew. But before she could even dwell on the issue more, she felt Hayden's arms wrap around her, too. She smiled and kissed the top of her head.

Their first hug had just happened – was happening.

Hayden pulled away and her face showed no emotion. They were so much alike, it scared her. She could hide her emotions well. Sharpay felt a little bit proud at herself – her daughter was an actress. But then again, she must have her other traits as well. Did Hayden have her mischievous, plotting, evil traits? This just made Sharpay realize how little she knew about her daughter.

She watched her daughter look hesitantly at her, as if she wanted to say something. "Hayden." Her eyes snapped towards her in a nervous way. "What is it?" She softly questioned as to not frighten the girl.

Hayden raised an eyebrow in response before regaining her composure. She smiled and shrugged it off with a wave of her hand. Okay, _that_ action reminded Sharpay so much of herself. "It's nothing, really." Sharpay looked at her much more professionally with her perfectly arched eyebrow. "Okay, so maybe it is something," she mumbled quietly. Sharpay noted how nervously and involuntarily she played with the hem of her now creased dress.

Sharpay looked at her expectantly and she struggled to say what she had to say. "It's just – it's really silly, honestly." Hayden murmured. She sighed and started to talk. "Why are you here?" She questioned with genuine curiosity.

If Sharpay was to say that the question shocked her, she would be lying. She knew that it was going to come up one way or another. "If there was an undo button for life, I would've pressed it years ago." She deadpanned, hoping that Hayden had a high IQ for she didn't want to really dive into her statement.

Hayden simply nodded her head and with sudden movement, she stood up and stuck out her hand. "I'm Hayden," she smiled sweetly. Sharpay felt pride erupt inside her. Hayden was different – completely unique. She could understand what Sharpay meant and why she did what she had done, she acted maturely; she was basically an adult inside a teenager's body.

Sharpay took her hand and shook it slowly, her white teeth glistening under the light. She just couldn't help but smile. "Sharpay."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mother."

* * *

**AN: **I know it's shorter than usual, but the update's are sooner. I wanted it like that. :)) Reviews are appreciated. :D


	6. Bitch From The Block

_Okay. So, before you guys stab me with a stake that's on fire, let me just say one thing._

_Writer's Block is an old friend - really bitchy and annoying - from hell.

* * *

_

**Chapter 5**: Bitch From The Block

By: beachbumyeahh

_"And thou shalt in thy daughter see,  
This picture, once, resembled thee."_

* * *

Everything seemed to go by in a blur for Blair. She had just escaped her overly joyful grandmother and stoic grandfather. To say that she was freaked out by her grandfather would be the understatement of the year. He seemed to just stare at her like some piece of artwork he couldn't decipher. She didn't really mind her grandmother; she was great. She had even invited her to have dinner with her mother to formally meet the rest of the family.

Blair was wearing a yellow, knee-length, summer dress provided by her grandmother. She was given other choices but they seemed too flashy, too pink. When she voiced out her thoughts, the only reply she received from her grandmother was a knowing gaze and a chuckle.

While she did not detest the colour pink, she wasn't too fond of it either.

"Hello." Sharpay entered the room in a light pink dress and white heels.

Blair was sitting on one of the many sofas the Evans' residence had to offer. "Hey," she replied, distracted by a framed picture of Sharpay and Ryan in one of their musicals.

She heard footsteps come towards her and almost at once, her mother was at her side, looking at the picture as well. "That was one of my favorite productions, you know."

At this, Blair looked up at her and looked at her questioningly. "How come?"

"It was my last performance in East High, my old high school." Sharpay shook her head dismissively and changed the topic instead. "Someone dropped this off while you were in the bathroom," she said, handing her a familiar clutch.

She breathed in relief as she took the bag from her mother. She remembered bringing it to the party last night but she didn't have any clue how it came back here. "Thanks." Just then, as if on cue, her_ I'm Too Sexy_ ringtone rang loudly inside the living room. Blair gazed at the ceiling in an exasperated, over-dramatic manner before shuffling to stop the embarrassing ringtone her Sidekick was playing.

With a polite smile and a reddened face, she stood up and moved towards the next room, noticing the familiar name on the caller ID.

"You're too sexy for your shirt, Darbus? I feel unfortunate to even know you." she hissed quietly as she entered her grandfather's study, she guessed.

"Evans," the cocky voice sounded relieved to hear her voice. "You're alive."

She rolled her eyes and replied acidly, "Yeah, and no thanks to you." She wasn't going to forgive him that easily for helping her get into this mess. She was grateful that he had been there but she wasn't going to admit that. Admitting that would be like giving her soul to the devil.

"Now, that's unfair."

She eyed the pictures on the wall and smiled upon seeing her mother on stage with a ridiculous outfit with whom she guessed was Mr. Bolton, Xander's father. "Yeah, well life's unfair."

"Don't be cranky."

"I'm not cranky!"

Quiet chuckles came from the other line and she was done resisting the urge to hang up when he continued. "Come on, Blair. I'll make it up to you. Let me take you shopping or anything equally torturous that would eventually be the death of me."

Blair thought for a moment. She needed someone to talk to and shopping would be her revenge against Cristiano. He always hated going shopping with her. He said she always took too much time deciding on what credit card to use. "Fine." She began to walk back to the other room, "You know where I am. Pick me up in half an hour."

She sat back down across her mother, "Sorry about that. My stupid friend changed the ringtone, embarrassing."

Sharpay shrugged and smiled. "It's amusing, actually. So, it's no big deal."

Blair still couldn't believe she was in the same room as her, even on the same continent. It felt so surreal. Awhile ago, she had even convinced herself she was still dreaming – that later on, it would all disappear and she'd wake up in California in her old house.

"I hope you don't mind, but I found someone to take me shopping today."

She must have imagined it but she was quite sure she saw her mother's face fall for a millisecond before returning to her patented smile. "It's okay," she said as she took her own clutch, and gave her a platinum card. "Feel free to buy whatever you want,"

Blair blushed and shook her head. "No, no," she quietly said. "It's okay; you don't need to give me that, honestly."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow and forced the card into Blair's hand. "I insist. It's the least I can do. Just don't be too late; your father might be picking you up later. I'm not sure – maybe he'll call you later."

With a smile, Blair hugged her quickly and left the room. It still felt awkward whenever she was in the same room as her. She walked towards the backyard where soon enough, she heard her godfather's voice. Blair needed to talk to him. She needed to clear everything out. She was still trying to process the events that had just occurred. It seemed like her life decided to make every wish of her come true without any warning.

She cautiously knocked on the glass door before stepping outside. "Ryan?"

She found him talking on the phone. He gestured to wait for a moment, so she laid down on one of the pool chairs. She had time before Darbus would show up – he supported the trend of being fashionably late, sometimes even reaching the point where it evolved into being irritatingly late.

"Blair." Ryan smiled and ruffled her hair before sitting on a chair beside her. "What's up?"

She put out her tongue playfully before trying to fix her hair, "What happened last night?"

"You got drunk."

"Really?" She feigned surprise. She raised an eyebrow and glared at him. "I had no clue. Now, come on, what's with my parents?"

"Blair," he sighed. "I don't think I'm the right position to talk to you about this."

Blair looked at him sternly. "Look here, Ryan – "

"Evans?" They both looked up to see Darbus standing near the door.

Blair turned back and eyed Ryan. "I'll talk to you later." She took her clutch and walked past Darbus towards the front door, silently grateful for the interruption – she wasn't looking forward to yelling at her godfather.

"Reporting for hell, your majesty." He showed off a cheeky grin and that's when she noticed his appearance. He was wearing dark, aviator glasses, his hair was sticking up from all angles, and his lower lip had a light purple bruise.

Silently, she lifted her hand and brushed the bruise with her thumb. Darbus took a slow step back, obviously caught off-guard by the odd action. Blair looked at her thumb and smirked. He had put on makeup to hide a particularly swollen bruise.

"Hmm," she mused as she walked towards Darbus' car. "Funny, I just thought you looked like hell."

Following shortly, Darbus entered the car as well. "Getting in a fight with huge, buff college guys over a lady's virtue was the cause. I think I deserve points instead of insults."

Blair rolled her eyes and pushed the button that would open the car's hood. "Oh, fine, baby. You get a gold star just for that."

She suppressed the urge to smile and laugh, remembering the fact that she had to act like she was angry. That was the way they were – enemies and best friends of some sort. It was nice to be around a familiar face after the weird day she's been having.

* * *

They mostly spent the day hopping from shop to shop with Darbus carrying all of her luggage. He had, indeed, offered to carry all of them.

"Evans," Darbus touched her shoulder to alert her. "You've been looking at the same rack for the past fifteen minutes. I know shopping is critical for you, but honestly, these are just scarves. How long does one take to pick a couple of pieces?"

Blair took a scarf from the rack and hit him with it, but that didn't stop the smile from appearing on her face.

"And thus, the ice melts."

"Shut up, Cristiano." They simultaneously moved out of the store and into a new one.

They stopped to admire a shelf of new Gucci sunglasses. "I see mother dear got you in a grand mood?"

"She's wonderful, Darbus. You should meet her." She paused and pondered for a moment. "On second thought, maybe you shouldn't."

"Are you ashamed of me, dear friend?" He chuckled and put on a pair of glasses, which Blair quickly grabbed from him with a shake of her head. "Why would you be, Blair? I'm handsome, rich, and classy." He grabbed another pair of ridiculous sunglasses and put them on Blair.

She discarded the sunglasses quickly and grimaced. "Yes, that may all be true but you are also a womanizer." Blair twirled towards the next shelf and gestured for Darbus to follow. "What image would that give my mother about me?"

She could've sworn Darbus' eyes darkened for a moment but she couldn't justify that fact for the reason that he was now looking at her with those bright, emerald orbs she was familiar with. With that action, she realized what she said might have actually hurt his feelings.

She backpedaled quickly. "Wait. That came out wrong."

Darbus snorted and walked towards her. "You just met your mother, the woman you've been idolizing and obsessing about ever since, and you're not even acting real."

"I just want things to go the way I want them – perfect."

Darbus rolled his eyes with an edge, "Perfection is bull. You can't pretend your whole life, Evans." With that being said, he walked away from her and to a rack of dress shirts.

Blair raised an eyebrow at his actions. She stomped over to mouth off at him about how he didn't really have the best relationship with his parent either when a red-headed bimbo appeared between them, completely and solely concentrated on Darbus.

Okay. Who the hell is she?

"Hey Cris."

He looked up, finally noticing the newcomer. "What do you want?" he muttered, his voice dripping with annoyance. Blair felt smug about that little fact she noticed. "I'm busy."

"You weren't busy last night."

Blair's eyes widened with disgust. "I think I'm going to vomit." That was when 'Little Miss Bimbo' finally noticed her – probably good on her behalf because Blair didn't like being left out, especially when it involved her friends.

"How rude."

Bimbo's eyes looked at her critically before completely turning her back on Blair and facing Darbus once more.

Blair raised an eyebrow with as much attitude as she could. She grabbed the Bimbo's arm and yanked her sideways. And she called her rude? That little son of a bitch.

"Listen here, sweetie." Her voice wavering between innocent and dangerous, "I don't know who the hell you are, besides being one of the biggest sluts I've come to meet, but if you don't get out of my sight right now, I'm going to pull off the obvious extensions on that fantastic head of yours. Honestly, did you come here to get that mop-like head fixed?"

The girl subconsciously touched her hair and flicked it haughtily before walking away with whatever dignity was left with her. Blair's eyes followed her with hostility until she exited the store.

"I spoke too soon about the ice," Darbus mutter, chuckling slightly.

Blair glanced at him before moving out of the store. Darbus following right behind her, slightly struggling with the bags they both bought for today. "Oh, I apologize," she innocently commented. "Was she worth something to you?"

"Please, Evans. I expected you to give me more credit in picking my women."

Blair looked at him and scowled at the heinous smirk on his face. "Well, maybe you don't deserve the credit, Darbus. Now, come on. I have to meet my mother, take me home."

She turned around too quickly and missed the small yet genuine smile on her friend's face.

* * *

Sharpay was lounging inside the living room while reading one of those magazines that featured the lives of celebrities. Even if there was no privacy, she'd always wanted that kind of life – the kind of life where everybody tuned in to know what was latest with you. Her dream had always been to be a performer, to be known because of her talent.

But instead, she'd starred in three Broadway plays in France – one went worldwide for two years. She was not quite that famous and she was stuck in a small, unknown town trying to get her seventeen-year-old daughter back to France without a stubborn fight with her ex-boyfriend. Never in a million years did she think that her life was going to be like this.

The front door slammed open then shut and the click clack of heels followed her into the living room. Hayden entered, bright as ever. She had a big smile on her face.

"Put all my bags inside the room I'm staying at," she called over shoulder to the two maids that struggled with her newly acquired objects.

Sharpay closed the magazine and gazed at her daughter warily. "Good time shopping with your friend?"

She sharply turned around and nodded as she sat down next to her. "Yeah, it was fun." She laughed airily, remembering the face-off with the red-headed girl in Gucci. "I was about to introduce him to you as I got home, but he needed to leave – something about his family."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow, not entirely knowing if she should be worried or what. "Your friend is a he?"

Don't blame her. It's not like she'd had any experience with this kind of things.

Telling her parents about Zeke wasn't exactly pleasurable, either.

"_Hi, Daddy." Sharpay strolled into the dining area where her father and mother were seated, plates in front of them. "Hello, Mother." She walked towards her mother and placed a hand on her shoulder, and then, she kissed her father's cheek before slipping into her own seat. _

_She had always been a Daddy's Girl._

_Her mother smiled and continued to concentrate on her continuously beeping Blackberry. Sharpay wanted to snicker at the frantic expression of her mother as she desperately tried to click on random buttons. She gestured for her mother to give her the phone. A few clicks here and there, the phone finally quieted as her mother sent her a thankful smile._

_She'd already talked with her mother. It was her father that she was worrying about. _

"_Daddy?" She sipped her orange juice, pretending to be nonchalant._

_Frank removed his gaze from the newspaper to eye his eighteen-year-old daughter. "Princess?"_

_Sharpay smiled. She would always be his little princess. She loved her father to bits. Ever since she was young, he'd always spoil her and bought her everything she wanted. And whenever Sharpay needed him – even if he was halfway across the world doing business – he always came home to fuss and worry._

_Introducing Troy Bolton wasn't hard. He had the 'perfect boy' image._

_Introducing her boyfriend, Zeke Baylor, was hard. He wasn't exactly the perfect boyfriend fathers liked. But he was perfect for her. That thought alone gave her enough courage to continue._

"_My new boyfriend's coming over for dinner tonight. I want you to meet him." She calmly placed her drink back on the table and awaited her father's reaction. She looked so calm; if only they knew how nervous she was on the inside._

"_What's his name?" His expression was unreadable, his voice held no emotion._

_Shit, shit, shit, she continued to curse inwardly._

"_Zeke Baylor. He worked for the country club a year ago. He helped the head chef."_

"_Oh." Her father's eyes connected with hers. "So, he's that boy." He put emphasis on the word "that", which initially made her worried. What exactly did he mean by that?_

"_Do you have any problem with him, Daddy?" She kept her voice light though her teeth gritted angrily. How could he judge her boyfriend so quickly? Well, actually, that may not be the idea her father was thinking, but that was what she was getting with his expression and tone of voice._

"_I've met him, once." Her heart fluttered dangerously fast. And it wasn't the good kind of fluttering, either. "I'd say, he's dozen of steps away from Troy Bolton."_

_Her left eye twitched carefully. Sharpay breathed in and out, quietly calming herself down before she yelled something that she would later on regret. "Yes. Yes, he is." She smiled a bright smile that came up whenever she would think of her boyfriend. "He's better. He treats me the way I should be treated."_

"_And how does he treat you, exactly?" This is the first time she'd ever felt hostility towards her father. It had always been her mother that experienced this side of her. _

"_He treats me with care and love. He treats me like a princess." She gave another smug smile at the dumbfounded expression on her father's face._

Hayden snapped her out of her thoughts with her musical voice ringing inside the room. "Yes," Sharpay didn't miss the light blush that came and went. "You might actually know his parents or his grandmother."

"Really? Well, who's the lucky guy?"

Hayden mumbled something incoherent, though Sharpay did hear words like "not dating" and "never will" and "not lucky". She had to smile warily at her fumbled daughter. "He's Cristiano Darbus."

It took a second before she recognized the name. "My drama teacher's grandson?"

"Yeah, I knew him before moving here. They used to live in California next to our house. But they had to move because his mother died and his grandmother's health is terrible." She shrugged, playing with the hem of her dress.

A slight frown graced her face. She knew the Darbus family. She was actually good friends with Ms. Darbus' children. "Susan died?" Then, realization sunk in. "Ms. Darbus is still alive?" She added later on with a somewhat surprised expression. Wow. She was one hell of a fighter, that old geezer.

Hayden laughed lightly. "Yeah, though from what Darbus mentioned, she's growing weaker. Goes with the job description of being old, I guess."

Sharpay made a mental note to visit the Darbus family sometime soon. And then she remembered how they even got to this topic. "So, are you dating Vic and Susan's son?" She watched amusedly when her daughter's eyes bulged out and her lips frowned in a speed she never thought possible.

"No!" Her voice pitched higher with her answer. "Never in a million years would I date that man." Hayden's eyes rolled, her face contorted with disgust.

Sharpay nodded and crossed her legs. "So, did you have fun shopping?"

"Yes." Hayden reached for her clutch and handed her the credit card she had lent. "Thanks for the clothes and stuff," she mumbled, blushing furiously.

Uncomfortable silence decided to enter their world and it felt like it wanted to suffocate both of them. Blair felt obliged to talk, "So, when's Dad coming by?" She didn't want to leave. But she couldn't abandon her father, either. All Blair wanted was for her parents to get back together. Was that so hard to ask for?

"Soon, I guess."

"Do you-" Hayden stammered to say something. Sharpay placed her hand on top of her daughter's to encourage her to go further with whatever she was going to say. "Do you think I could convince him to let me see you again?"

Sharpay didn't know how to answer, "I think he would, but he won't be happy about it. He'd think I've done something to corrupt your mind."

"You're my mother; he should know that I would obviously want to get to know you better," she said with an edge.

"Your father wasn't so pleased with me last night."

"What happened, anyway?"

Sharpay sighed once again. "I came back to get to know my daughter, Hayden – to get to know you. But, I guess he's still angry about what I've done – which he still should be, by the way. There's no excuse for my actions. I'm sorry for leaving you."

"I don't understand why you left, but I'm willing to get past that." Sharpay felt relief course through her veins. "I just hope he doesn't ban me from seeing my own mother."

"I hope, too."

"If he does," Hayden grinned cheekily, looking childlike. "Well, I don't really care." They laughed in harmony, the uncomfortable feeling slowly going away.

"Zeke and I are extremely stubborn." Sharpay mentioned. This is the first time Hayden's ever heard her father's name and her mother in the same sentence. "I'm not surprised that you are, too."

"Tell me about you and him?" Hayden quietly asked, her eyes silently begging. She'd always wanted to know about her parents' relationship from someone actually in it.

Sharpay closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. "Being with your father was like riding a rollercoaster." Hayden shifted more comfortably on the couch as she listened to her mother finally tell their story and how it came to be. "I couldn't really anticipate a thing."

She opened her eyes again and stared at Hayden's – Zeke's eyes, actually. It felt like she was talking to him, as well. "When your father first realized his feelings for me, well, let's just say they weren't returned for quite awhile. I was more inclined to his best friend, Troy."

Hayden quickly interrupted. "Xander's father? I met him last night with his wife." She watched her daughter sigh dreamily. "He's a hottie, Mom."

Sharpay raised her perfectly arched eyebrow. "Who? Troy?" Her daughter nodded, earning a laugh from her. Hayden gestured for her to continue, which she did.

"Well, I pined after Troy for a long period of time. As I said, Zeke's incredibly stubborn. I did every possible thing to make him hate me. I insulted him in front of his friends, embarrassed him during class – I wasn't the nicest person when I was younger." Hayden smirked at this – they were totally mother and daughter. "I don't know when it happened, but I think it was one of his cookies that did me in."

"Can I ask you something?" Hayden questioned after moments of silence.

"Sure."

"Do you still love him?"

Sharpay's body stiffened at the direct question. She had been asking personal questions but she wasn't ready for this one.

If Blair was going to have a real relationship with her mother, she needed to know where she stood on some subjects. And the closest subject to her heart would always be her father.

Hayden carefully watched her mother's actions. Sharpay's eyes closed once again and she pinched the tip of her nose slowly before releasing a soft sigh. "Between you and I," She whispered, opening her ocean-colored eyes, "I will probably always be in love with your father. But sometimes, love just isn't enough to make things right."

After that, she finished asking questions and Sharpay had enough of her story telling. Both were quite content with the silence surrounding them. They both had a lot to think about. It was odd to think that they were both thinking of the same thing, or really, the same person – Zeke. After a couple of minutes, Hayden started to tell her mother random things about her – she really didn't like silence, it bored her to death. She admitted to have made a professor cry because she kept on asking him questions he didn't know the answer to. Sharpay, on the other hand, admitted to have never eaten at McDonald's before. Hayden made a mental note to take her mother there sometime soon. While she wasn't a fan of fast-food, it was still quite tasty.

A little too soon, the doorbell rang and one of the maids announced the arrival of the man they were both dreading to see. Sharpay sighed, completely preparing herself for the face off that was bound to happen. She was going to have to yell, scream, and even cry just to get her daughter. If she has to release all hell on him and be the "Ice Queen" again, then so be it. Nothing was more important than her daughter.

"Dad." Hayden snapped her out of her thoughts and Sharpay's eyes traveled to a sleep-deprived Zeke. Her heart immediately softened at the sight of him. He looked so tired – as if the life had been sucked out of him. She remembered his eyes full of the sparkling, bright beauty she could see in their daughter's. But where was that now?

She watched Hayden slowly approach her father. "Dad?" Her voice sounded so small, as if she was afraid that her father might explode all of a sudden.

Hayden lightly grabbed one of Zeke's wrists. "Are you mad?" She questioned – her eyes suddenly found the crème carpet incredibly interesting.

Zeke sighed and slowly wrapped his arms around their daughter, "You're okay, you're alive." He let out a shaky breath. Sharpay covered her mouth to stop the sound that was trying to escape her lips – she didn't know what kind of sound it is, but she felt immensely touched at the scene before her.

It looked like some scene from a touching Hollywood movie. And just like the time she watched The Notebook and Titanic, a lonesome tear traveled down her cheek. Sharpay quickly wiped it away before they could notice.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Dad." Hayden pulled away and steered Zeke closer to Sharpay. "I didn't exactly plan this."

Sharpay's eyes widened and she immediately stood up and moved towards another direction. Zeke's eyes finally traveled to her direction and she felt her body stiffen. "Zeke," Sharpay finally said after composing herself.

"Sharpay." His voice still held the relief he felt for their daughter's safety. "I think – we should get going, Hayden. Go say goodbye to your mother," he said with finality.

"Actually," Hayden innocently drawled out, "I'm coming back here tomorrow, Dad. Grandmother invited me to formally meet the family. You should come."

Zeke's eyes dangerously flashed to Sharpay's. "I don't think that's such a good idea," he stiffly told her.

"How come?" Her daughter's voice challenged.

Sharpay crossed her arms. "You two should come." She bit the inside of her cheek painfully. "Mother would be happy to see you, Zeke."

"Hayden," Zeke's eyes never left hers. "Can you excuse us for a couple of minutes, please?" Hayden's eyes flashed back and forth between them – as if wondering if that was such a good idea. Well, obviously, it wasn't.

Sharpay smiled at her, finally breaking contact with Zeke's burning eyes. "Go on, sweetie. Ryan's upstairs, go say goodbye to him." Hayden sighed and slowly walked off towards the stairs.

"I thought you understood what I said last night, Sharpay." Zeke said once he was sure Hayden was upstairs.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sound. "I tried to understand it, Zeke. I just can't see the logic in it. She wants to see me as much as I want her to. Are you seriously going to stop me from seeing my own daughter?"

"You're just going to hurt her, Sharpay," he dangerously muttered.

"I love her, Zeke. She's my own flesh and blood. I will never do anything to intentionally hurt her." She felt sick. How in the world could he think that she would want to hurt her own daughter? Her Zeke would never think so lowly of her. Who was this man in front of her?

Zeke bitterly smiled at her, "Yeah, you love her, sure. You used to loved me. You've hurt me. So, what's my reassurance that you won't do the same to our daughter?"

Sharpay froze and the next thing she knew, her hand had connected with Zeke's cheek, emitting a loud slap. Her knees buckled as she slowly collapsed on the floor. Her chest was heaving as she breathed heavily and tears were actually falling from her eyes.

What he had said was absolutely right. That was what hurt the most - the fact that everything he said was true.

* * *

**AN: **I was thinking of cutting this to several chapters, but I don't know where to cut, exactly. And I'm rewarding you guys with a clue on what's to happen next chapter. Happy Holidays, people. :D

_Next Chapter:_

_Quiet dinner for the family? Please, since when did the Evans have a normal and quiet family dinner? _

_Albuquerque did not see this coming.  
_

* * *


	7. Don't EFF With The Cupcakes

**Chapter 6:** Don't EFF With The Cupcakes

By: beachbumyeahh

_"Don't say you love somebody and then change your mind._

_Love isn't choosing a movie you like."_

* * *

The moment she crashed on the floor, cries of frustration and anguish escaping her ruby lips, Zeke knew he crossed the invisible line that kept them civil. Just from her reaction, he knew that he couldn't get away unscathed. The three of them – he, Sharpay, and Hayden – wouldn't escape this drama without getting hurt. And that was all Zeke wanted – for everything to go back to the way it was without getting hurt.

Zeke stood towering over her, contemplating on what to do. It had been a long time since he felt this lost. Sharpay always made him feel like the pathetic teenager he used to act like. Following her like a sick puppy, offering her cookies that made him stay up all night, thus forgetting to study for an exam, which resulted in his suspension from the team. He felt powerless against the unstoppable force of nature that was Sharpay Evans.

He could hear urgent footsteps rushing towards the room but he only cared about the painful cries that emerged from Sharpay. She just sat there, furiously trying to calm herself down. _I made her break_, was Zeke's only coherent thought. He wished he could comfort her but too much has happened and it would break both of their hearts if he tried to.

"I – Sharpay, I'm – God, I didn't mean to – I'm sorry." He rushed to say before he heard the distinct yells of his daughter and her godfather. Zeke caught Sharpay's drowning, aqua coloured eyes. It held and showed him how much his words really stung.

"Sharpay!"

"Mom!"

Both of them rushed towards the shaking figure on the floor and he stood still, frozen on the same spot with no idea what to do. He couldn't deny the guilt that's eating his soul alive. He watched Hayden and Ryan kneel beside Sharpay, trying to calm and soothe her. Hayden shook her head and stood up.

Zeke watched his seventeen-year-old daughter look at him with a face fit for someone his age. "_Father_," she looked at him with an expression that he couldn't quite place. "I think it's better if you left." She grabbed his arm and Zeke let himself be ushered towards the door. "I'm sorry. I'll come home as soon as Mom's okay."

Zeke nodded blankly before walking towards the opened car door, purposely ignoring the wondering look on his driver's face. "Where to, Sir?"

"Home."

Zeke sat in the car, watching the houses zoom past him and he wished he was a teenager again. He wanted to be carefree and happy. He wanted to go back and be the fun kid he used to be. He wanted to play basketball and bake and not care about the bills and such.

He wished they were kids again – the gang and Sharpay. They were so careless back then. All that really mattered to them was their friendships. The girls worried about their grades, their clothes, and the musical while the boys worried about basketball and their girlfriends. That was it.

The car stopped and Zeke stepped out of the car before the driver could even open the door. He needed to remember the Zeke he was back then. And for that, he needed his old friends. He needed to be the basketball guy that baked.

For the sake of his family, Zeke needed to find himself."Sharpay, what happened?" Ryan hoisted her up to the couch, holding her arm tightly.

* * *

Sharpay heaved in breaths, in and out, before finally breathing normally again. Hayden disappeared for the moment – she needed to call her house to make sure her father made it home safely. It took Sharpay several minutes to calm herself down. Her eyes were red and bloated, her cheeks were rosy from all the sobs she let out, and her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Sharpay?" Ryan sat next to her, his expression clouded with worry.

Sharpay stared at him – no, glared at him with her puffy eyes, and at times, a dry sob would escape her lips. "Don't, Ry. Just don't." She hoarsely whispered, making her voice sound as firm and powerful as she could.

Ryan placed a hand on her arm and she jerked away quickly. "Look, Sharpay, I'm sorry for – "

"No, Ryan." Sharpay's voice rang louder, trying to tell him that it was over.

"I know you're angry for what I did the other night. Trust me, I wanted to tell you Blair was upstairs but I made a pact with Zeke and I just couldn't forget about that. He trusted me with Blair – "

"Just stop talking, okay?" She was yelling now, her voice sounding so tired and hopeless that even she could hear her pathetic tone. "I don't want to talk about what just happened, I don't want to talk about that night – I just don't want to talk right now." A dry sob escaped once again and Sharpay rolled her eyes in frustration and annoyance.

"Drive Hayden home, tell her to take care of her father and that maybe dinner tomorrow won't be such a good idea." She stood up, clutch in hand, and walked towards the hallway to the front door.

Ryan followed her and exasperation was clearly evident when he said, "Where are you going?"

"Out." Sharpay glanced at the maid at the door, "Coat." She growled and almost at once, a white, leather coat was handed to her. Sharpay took one last fleeting look at her frustrated brother before marching out the door and into the cold, summer night.

Sharpay fell from her thrown, completely removing her barriers in front of the only person to make her feel weak and vulnerable. That wasn't going to happen, ever again. She wasn't going to give up on her daughter – no, she was going to win. Zeke was going to lose and he would regret saying those words to her. She didn't care anymore. Hayden wanted to get to know her and that was all that mattered.

She would win. She was tired of being the better person.

Sharpay would make Zeke sorry he ever said those words to her – even if they were true.

**

* * *

**

Ryan made his way upstairs, absent-mindedly rubbing his temples in attempt to soothe his growing headache. How could everything crash before his very eyes in a matter of days? Everything was calm and collected a little over a week ago. Blair was in California, reigning over every teenager and loving it. Zeke was in another country, handling business once again. And Sharpay was in France, not a care in the world for her daughter.

Why did he send the letter that made Sharpay crack?

He made her go home. In a way, he caused this mess – no, he fed the mess and made it bigger because he knew it started when Zeke and Sharpay forgot the most important thing taught in Sex Ed, thus creating the goddaughter he loved so much.

Ryan was Sharpay's twin. He knew what she was thinking, in a way. For a couple of days, Sharpay drowned in her guilt of leaving. She blamed herself and never Zeke. She respected Zeke and his decisions. She never went out of her way to get what she wanted. Sharpay probably, with the right words, could've already convinced Blair to go to France.

But now, all Ryan could see was the old Sharpay. The one that would backstab her own twin and manipulate everyone to get what she wanted. He could see her old high school stereotype. And he feared for every living soul to encounter her in her worst. Mainly, Ryan pitied Zeke.

Ryan entered in the room Blair was currently staying at and found her talking on the phone. Her eyebrows were creased and she kept running her hands through her hair. She really was a clone of her mother but he wouldn't be fooled; she acquired a whole lot of Zeke's traits as well.

Blair loved to cook – it was a passion that she hid from everyone except Zeke and him. Baking was her favourite; she loved to make cupcakes for him whenever he would visit her in California. She rarely told anyone because of the same reasons her father believed back when he was in high school.

_"Ryan," she cried into the phone. Little, thirteen-year-old sobs was all he heard after his name. Ryan heard footsteps before he heard a bed creaking. He sighed and felt relieved – at least she was safe at home. _

_"Sweetie, Blair," he cooed in an attempt to soothe the continually sobbing teenager. "What's wrong?"_

_"You know I love baking cupcakes, right, Ryan?" _

_Ryan smiled and nodded even if Blair couldn't really see him. "Of course,"_

_"Well, Dad was supposed to come tonight from his month long stay in New York." Blair paused and Ryan heard little cries of sadness from the other line. "I baked him some cu-cupcakes to welcome him home. I haven't seen him for so long and all I wanted to do was to spend so-some quality time with my father. _

_He cringed at every stutter she breathed out. _

_Bitterness and anger showed their way into her voice when she said, "And guess what he said once he got home, Ry. Come on, guess." _

_Ryan didn't want to know what caused his goddaughter so much pain. "What?" He barely said._

_He heard shuffling before hearing a crash from the other end. "What was that?" He quickly asked, his blood turning cold. Blair could be destructive when she wanted to. _

_She ignored his question and continued to tell her story. "He asked when I started baking." And then, Ryan heard a humourless laugh cracking with uneven breaths. "I've been baking and cooking since I was six. I've been baking him cupcakes for seven mother fucking Christmases and he's only noticed now."_

_Ryan's speechless now. What exactly did a preteen want to hear after realizing that her father was basically clueless on any topic about her? "Blair – "_

_"I have the best life, Ryan." Her voice sounded so light now it scared him. A second ago, Blair actually sounded crazed. "I have a father who's never around. I'm rich, popular, smart, and so parentless. My mother is somewhere out there, not a care in the world for me. And my father doesn't even bother to care anymore. And I've got you – my mother's twin. How the hell do you think that makes me feel?"_

_And then, after that, she sobbed. Blair didn't stop crying on the phone – allowing him to hear every cough and sob she made – until she fell asleep. _

Ryan sat on the bed and waited until Blair finished her conversation on the phone. All he could see was a seventeen-year-old girl who looked like she was a minute away from breaking down.

"Well, the maid told me dad got home about ten minutes ago. He's in his room, so he's going to be okay." Ryan saw the relief in her face. She worried too much. "How's Mother?"

Blair had to act like an adult while her parents acted like stupid teenagers.

"She left for a walk. She asked for me to drive you home." Ryan gave her a small smile, hoping it was enough to convince her that everything was okay. "Come on, let's go." He stood up and turned towards the door but Blair's voice stopped him.

Blair's shrieking voice stopped him.

"What?" Ryan cringed. She could yell as loud as Sharpay could – not exactly a good thing for him. "Not only do I have to worry about my father, but my mother is out there after her breakdown?" Ryan turned and watched Blair flail her arms around dramatically. "I cannot believe you let her out, Ryan. She could get raped or something and I won't see her again – just when I found her and everything's going great, no wait. As great as it could get for my family but whatever – "

Ryan made the mistake of letting out a chuckle and that sound made Blair stop her ranting. "What is so funny?" She asked in a tone that made him crack another smile.

He slowly approached her and put his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm the young woman. "You're a good girl, you know that, right?" Ryan ruffled her hair messily. "Your parents are adults, stop worrying about them for a minute and be the teen you are."

Blair sighed and fixed her hair. She couldn't really get angry at her godfather. "I tried and look where it got me, drunk and passed out." She sarcastically said, making both blonds laugh.

Ryan put an arm around her shoulders and stirred her towards the door. "Now, come on. Let's get you home."

**

* * *

**

Zeke walked towards the wide, white door and rang the doorbell once. He looked over his shoulder and glanced at his own home from across the other side of the street. Hayden wasn't home yet and it was starting to worry him. Was she too angry at him to come home or even call him to tell him she wasn't coming home?

He sighed and watched the door suddenly burst open and a brunette force of nature attacked him with a hug. Zeke was forced at step back due to the intense strength before hugging back, a huge smile on his face. He saw Troy from behind, a smile on his face as well. Zeke waved at him and tried to pry away from the suffocating hug.

"Gabby," he squirmed a bit. Zeke heard Troy chuckle and glared. "A little help? Your wife's kinda killing me."

Troy closed the front door and took a stride towards them. "Gabriella." He touched her shoulder, trying to pry her away from Zeke. "Can I welcome my friend? You're kind of hogging him."

The brunette shook her head before pulling away, a beaming smile on her face and her eyes twinkling with happiness. "You ruined the moment!" She put out her tongue playfully before turning to Zeke. "Wow, you're really here?"

Zeke nodded, unable to remove the smile on his face. It felt right to be with old friends. "In the flesh, Gabriella." He chuckled before turning to Troy. "Dude?" He put out his fist and almost instantly, Troy hugged him with as much strength as his wife.

"Dang, Zeke," Troy pulled back and narrowed his eyes at him. "Where've you been all these years?"

Zeke would've thought Troy was angry if it wasn't for the wide smile on his face. "Here, there," he shrugged. "Pretty much everywhere."

"Come on, guys. Let's get you inside; it's cold for a summer night." Gabriella prompted before opening the door and leading them to the living room. Zeke spotted a male teenager that looked just about Hayden's age and a young, female child that looked just about four or five. The male had dirty blond hair and the younger child had golden blond hair.

Zeke raised an eyebrow at Troy – his daughter, he assumed, was puling at his son's hair. Troy shrugged before ushering him to sit down on the couch.

"Alex! Alex! Alex!" The little girl chanted loudly as little giggles escaped her mouth.

The boy struggled under her hold. He kept mumbling incoherent words – Zeke could feel the annoyance roll of his aura.

"Mariah Taylor Bolton," Gabriella said in an eerily calm voice. Almost at once, the little girl let go of the huge chunk of hair that she held captive and looked down at the ground guiltily. Zeke wanted to laugh – this girl must always get what she wanted, she looked so adorable with the sad expression on her face. One glance at Troy and his suspicions were confirmed. Troy looked the part of the doting father.

"Guys, this is Zeke." Troy waved a hand in introduction. "Zeke, this is my son, Alexander and my daughter, Mariah." Mariah looked at him, sending him a shy smile. Alexander, though, stood up and walked towards them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Troy's son offered a hand and Zeke shook it quickly. "Though, I do prefer to be called Xander. You're Blair's father, am I right?"

Alexander sounded so polite, it made Zeke suspicious. "Yes, I am." Mariah yawned loudly, earning laughs from the adults and an eye roll from her sibling.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's get you to bed – you too, Alex." Troy stood up and took the young child into his arms. "I'll be right back." He flashed a smile before walking out of the room, his son following with a scowl on his face. Zeke didn't fail to notice the look his friends shared with each other. It was a look of love that was there before he left and was still there. In a way, he felt envious of them. Why can't he have a happy, peaceful life like them?

Zeke glanced at Gabriella, who was seated across him in a chair. "So, Gabby." He raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Mariah?"

Gabriella laughed, a light blush appeared. "Mariah Carey's soundtrack was the only thing I listened to when I was pregnant with her."

"How old are they?" He questioned, shoving his hands into his khaki shorts. Zeke went home briefly to change before crossing the street towards his friends' home.

"Alex just turned seventeen a couple of months ago. And Mariah's three, turning four in December." Zeke nodded. So, Troy and Gabriella's son was a year younger than Hayden though they were in the same grade. "It's too bad you didn't get to come to our party the other day. But we met Blair, though. She's a wonderful child."

"Blair's great." Zeke smiled proudly at the comment. "Sorry about that. I didn't get home in time."

Gabriella suddenly looked at the ground guiltily, her lips in a frown. "Sharpay was there, though."

Zeke looked anywhere but at her direction. "Yeah, so I've heard." Troy entered the room and noticed the atmosphere of the room. He looked at them questioningly before sitting beside Zeke on the couch. It seemed like Gabriella wanted him to tell more but didn't push him.

"So, Zeke," Troy finally intervened. "What brings you to our home?"

Zeke sighed and looked at his old friend sadly. "I just need to surround myself with familiar people." He turned to Gabriella and gave her what she wanted. "I did something awful and I don't know what to do."

They both felt Troy's eyes flash back and forth between them. "Did I miss something?"

"Just tell us what happened, Zeke."

* * *

_Filler Chapter, I know._

_Even I hate this . . . thing I've written. But, *sighs* a story needs a filler every once and awhile._


	8. Nurses With Scary, Painful Syringes

**Chapter 7: **Nurses With Scary, Painful Syringes

By: beachbumyeahh

_"Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty, and sometimes attract pests."_

* * *

Hayden swiftly walked towards the kitchen, stopping to admire the mess. She looked at the sleeping figure on the counter sadly. "Daddy?" She touched his shoulder, slowly waking him. Zeke blinked at her blankly, still half asleep.

The kitchen was a mess, trays were scattered everywhere. After Zeke's confession at the Bolton's, he went home and made the kitchen suffer by baking. He just baked, and baked, and baked. When Hayden came home, she ignored her father. She knew that it would be best to let him be whenever he went crazy in the kitchen. Some people got drunk to forget their problems - Zeke baked to forget his.

There were muffins, cookies, and some other unidentified baked goods. Hayden grimaced at the tray next to her father. "Were these supposed to be cookies?" She picked one from the tray to inspect it. It looked like coal. It felt like coal. She hit the cookie on the counter, half expecting for it to break, but to her surprise it stayed the same.

Okay. Obviously, those were not edible.

"Rough night?" She questioned as she helped her father up. Hayden gestured at the maid near the door to clean up the room. "I need to talk to you, Dad. Come on, in the living room you go." She softly said, supporting her sluggish father.

Zeke didn't feel any lighter after pouring everything out to Gabriella and Troy. They gave him advice and it felt nice to see them again. But he didn't feel any less guilty about everything. Hayden placed Zeke on the white couch and looked into his eyes.

Now, she wished she hadn't. Hayden remembered the time she looked at her father's eyes when she was younger – they were full of broken dreams and hopes. But now, it was different. The hurt, the brokenness, was much more intense. Hayden knew that her sadness was nothing compared to her father.

"Listen, Dad," she started, breathing in and out to calm herself down. "I know you don't want me to talk to my mother. For whatever reason, you seem to think it's for the best. But, honestly, it's not for the best. Growing up without a mom has been nothing but hard. It didn't exactly help that you were never there." Zeke's head snapped up, completely sobered. Hayden decided that she needed to be frank from now on. "I want to get to know her, Dad. She's my mother. Now, I can't force you to get along with her but you need to stop arguing about me. I'm not a little kid anymore. I can make my own decisions. All I want is for my parents to act civil around each other – or at least wait for me to get out of the room before glaring at each other. It hurts to see my parents who used to love each other argue about a mistake that's already been forgiven."

Hayden sighed and began to pace in front of him. That wasn't such a good idea, Zeke decided. He felt queasy just watching her go back and forth. He felt like he had drunk an entire case of beer. But he didn't even drink last night. Dealing with Sharpay always left him emotionally unstable – an emotional hangover.

"We'll go," Zeke finally said with a defeated voice.

"What?"

"We'll go to that welcoming dinner your grandmother is throwing."

He watched Hayden's face light up with happiness. Zeke decided that he'd put aside his feelings for hers. If it made her this happy to be with Sharpay, then he'd just have to deal with it. "Really?" She questioned, a smile spreading on her face. "Thank you, Dad." She softly said, finally looking him in the eye.

Hayden kissed him on the cheek before bouncing upstairs to get ready, even if the dinner was hours away. Once she was gone, Zeke allowed himself a grimace. He let out a groan before lying on the couch miserably. He took out his cell and dialled a number.

"Ryan? Yeah, it's Zeke. Tell Lily that we're coming over for dinner later after all."

* * *

Sharpay glanced at their backyard and scoffed. "Mother," she drawled out carefully. "I thought we were having a quiet family dinner?"

Sharpay never even realized that she had gotten her over decorative traits from her mother. The backyard was now a party area. A white tent was set up, and inside, there was a long table placed with exactly fifteen or so chairs, accompanied by an equally-long buffet table.

Lily looked up from her clip board and smiled. "Well, I thought it would be nice to invite all your other friends as well." Sharpay's eye twitched.

"What?" Her voice rose slightly and if Lily noticed she didn't bother to acknowledge it. "Hayden expects a quiet family dinner, Mother. Not a dinner party for the entire town!" Sharpay's eyes rolled in annoyance.

"Once again, Sharpay dear, you are overreacting. I only invited your old high school friends, it's nothing."

Sharpay turned her back from her mother and quickly went looking for Ryan. "Oh my God, Ryan," she whispered dangerously when she entered the entertainment room. Ryan was watching a soccer game. "The Wildcat gang is coming over for dinner. Mom invited every single one of them – probably with their children."

Ryan turned to her with a confused expression. "I thought it was a quiet dinner?"

"Exactly my point." Sharpay grabbed the remote and changed the channels to her liking. "Every single of the elite team is coming. This dinner is going to be the death of me."

* * *

Sharpay tightly smiled at Troy, Gabriella and their son, Alexander. Gabby smiled at her genuinely and she wished she could do the same, but she felt nothing but awkward with these people. During high school, they were friends, yes – but they weren't best friends, they weren't even close. They were just the people Ryan and Zeke hung out with, so being the sister and girlfriend, she had to make friends.

But she never really felt like they were all close enough to be best friends. Sharpay told them to continue onwards until they see the door that'll lead them outside. The only people she actually felt glad to see were Vic Darbus – Mrs. Darbus' son – and Kelsi Nielson. No, wait, she was Kelsi Cross now.

The only one missing from the gang everybody loved was Zeke. Sharpay saw a black Mercedes stop just in front of their house and her breath hitched. She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to calm herself. She had to remember how much Zeke hurt her with his words.

Sharpay had a door separating her from her daughter and the father. She put on a bright smile and opened the door, instantly hugging Hayden quickly. "Hey Mom," Hayden pulled back and both she and Zeke entered the room. Hayden sighed and lightly grabbed her father's arm, linking it with hers.

Zeke refused to meet Sharpay's eyes. He could feel the hostility in them – it was as if she was trying to burn a hole in his head while smiling sadistically. He promised to be civil, for Hayden's sake.

"Zeke." Sharpay's friendly, soprano voice made his head snap upwards and look directly into her eyes. Her eyes were dark and unfriendly – completely the opposite of her voice.

Hayden wasn't blind, though. She could practically cut the tension with a steak knife. But she wasn't rude either, so she watched them stare at each other.

Zeke sighed and warily smiled. "Evening," he greeted, hoping that it was enough. Sharpay raised an eyebrow icily, and he felt a shiver down his spine. That little action reminded him of the Sharpay that used to ignore him.

Sharpay turned to Hayden, who was carefully watching the two of them. "Slight change of plans, dear." Hayden looked at her questioningly. "Your grandmother forgot the meaning of a "quiet family dinner" - she invited our old high school friends." She didn't miss the sullen look that appeared on Hayden's face for a second before a small smile graced her face.

"It's alright, honestly."

They all walked towards the door with Hayden in between her parents. It seemed like everybody stopped talking and stared at them once they stepped out into the open. Hayden scoffed – her mother wasn't kidding. This obviously wasn't a quiet family dinner. She wondered if her grandmother even knew the meaning of the word private.

With her parents' old friends coming forward, she quickly slipped away and walked towards the pool area where she spotted Cristiano. "Evans," he greeted, quietly sipping on a glass of scotch. Wait, what? Not only did Darbus welcome her with a decent remark, but he had alcohol in his hands already.

"Where'd you get the scotch, Darbus?" Hayden questioned, looking back over her shoulder to check up on her parents. Sharpay was nowhere to be seen but she smiled when she saw her father laughing it out with the others.

Darbus shrugged and sipped before running his eyes over her attire. Now, that was much better. The perverted man was now her best friend again. "You look nice." He ran his hand through his brown locks, creating a mess.

Okay, first of all, correction. She looked gorgeous, not nice. Nice was too simple. Hayden was dressed in a white dress that flowed elegantly down her body, barely reaching her knees. And, to top it that, she wore white heels with straps wrapping around her ankles. And second of all, Cristiano Darbus did not use nice as a compliment. He used words like beautiful, sexy as hell, that type of stuff. Nice was too common for him.

Hayden momentarily forgot about her parents and looked at her friend with genuine concern. "What has gotten into you?" She touched his arm and he pulled away, almost as if her touch burned him.

"Nothing." Hayden took her white purse and hit his arm as hard as she could. "What the hell is your problem, Evans?" Darbus hissed, taking a step back, eyeing the purse in annoyance.

"What's yours, Darbus?" She retorted, wondering what in the world had gotten to her friend.

Darbus placed his glass on a pool chair and glanced at her. Hayden's breathing stopped when she spotted her best friend's eyes. She wondered, _When did he grow up?_ This was the same boy that she grew up with, the one that wouldn't stop knocking on her front door until she talked to him, the one she used to have sleepovers with. He used to call her his Blair Bear and she called him her Little CriCris. This man in front of her was different.

She placed her hand on his shoulder slowly as to not surprise him. "Seriously, Cris, what's wrong?"

"My father forced me to come to this fuck of a party while my grandmother is gradually dying at home." Darbus' jaw locked and his eyes sadly flickered with anger. "Look at him," he hissed, looking behind his shoulder where his Vic Darbus was talking with Lily Evans and Kelsi Cross. "Look at that son of a bitch. He doesn't even care if his own mother dies."

Hayden's eyes never left his face – his usually bright face was contorted into a bitter expression that drowned in anger. "Cristiano," she breathed softly. "I'm sorry."

His eyes flashed towards her dangerously. "I do not need your pity, Evans." He took one last scrutinizing look at her before marching away, his stride as arrogant as ever.

* * *

"I need your help." Troy pulled Ryan into the living room, closing the door to drown out the happy, careless laughter of their friends.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "Last time I helped you, I got chased away from the local hospital by ill-tempered nurses who had syringes in their hands.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Look, it was not my fault you angered them. All I needed was a way to get into the delivery room in time for Gabby's delivery."

"You told them I knocked up your wife and wanted to kidnap your baby right after it was born."

"Well, they wouldn't let me in." Troy shook his head, completely getting off topic. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah. You want Zeke and Sharpay to at least be friends, right? For Blair's sake?"

Ryan nodded, shooting him a incredulous look. "I'd like them to be more, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Excellent." Troy smiled wickedly and Ryan wonders if he'd be chased again – not by nurses, but an angry Zeke and Sharpay, both yielding knives.

* * *

Blair walked around, trying to figure out where in the world Darbus went. He was emotionally and physically unstable. Only her and God knew what could happen to him.

"Hey," a deep voice came from behind her and she jumped lightly.

She turned around to see Xander grinning at her widely. "Xander." She tried to return the friendly smile on his face. She couldn't treat him poorly – he hadn't done anything to make her act hostile.

"You look nice, Blair." He complimented but she couldn't stop the grimace from spreading. "Are you okay?"

That was the second time this night somebody called her nice.

"I'm fine," she said curtly. Suddenly, her grandmother appeared between them, a wide smile on her face.

"Hello, dearies." Lily greeted, placing a hand on their backs. "Come on now, dinner's about to start. You two can even sit together, if you'd like."

Xander's face brightened immediately. "That's great, right Blair?"

Blair continued to look for any sign of the messy head that belonged to Darbus. She didn't even look where she was going as she was led by her grandmother. "Where is he," she muttered under her breath, furious at herself for allowing him to leave.

"Blair?" Lily brought her out of her thoughts and she smiled a painfully fake smile.

"Yes, great, sure."

* * *

Zeke glanced at Troy suspiciously. "Where are you taking me?"

"You need to go upstairs," Troy pushed him towards the steps. Zeke sent him a questioning look. "I think I saw Blair and Vic's son go upstairs. You need to check on them. I sure would, if it were my son."

Zeke was already stomping upstairs before Troy even finished his sentence. His ears shut off right after he said, "_Blair_ and Vic's _son_ go _upstairs_". He had never been there for his daughter, but he was here now and God might as well kill him if he's going to let his daughter and that boy get things . . . active.

Zeke spotted the last door and eyed it carefully. This was Sharpay's room. They were in her room? He didn't even want to think of the possibilities of what they could be doing. Zeke knew as much as Sharpay did that several things could be done in that room.

"Zeke!" Ryan appeared out of nowhere, his voice squeaky. "What are you doing here? Dinner's about to start," Ryan's voice suddenly smoothed out, an unnatural look of calmness on his face.

"Can't talk right now, Ryan," Zeke mumbled, already turning the knob slowly, les he see something that is not to be seen. He felt hands on his back and push him inwards, then the door closed abruptly, locks turning could be heard.

"Fell for the whole, _"Hayden and a boy staying in a room with a bed"_ thing, too, Baylor?" Sharpay sarcastically asked and just then, Zeke saw his life flash before his very eyes. He was going to die soon. He was locked in a room with the person that hated him the most – and she was equipped with fresh, manicured nails.

* * *

"Where are mom and dad?" Hayden leaned towards Ryan, who was on her right. Xander was a little bit too clingy for her to handle. He might as well jump at her with the way he was acting. And it didn't really help that Darbus arrived – a couple of minutes late – and had sat down right in front of her.

Ryan smiled at her innocently. "They're talking."

"With whom?"

"Themselves." Ryan sipped on his water, awaiting the reaction of his goddaughter.

Of course, it took her a couple of seconds to truly process what he had just said. "They're talking," she said suspiciously. "Alone?" Ryan nodded and she decided that she didn't want to know. Whatever it was, it would be okay because her father promised to act civil. She had enough on her plate to handle.

Hayden picked the right time to look up and see Cristiano looking at her with an emotion she couldn't decipher. She was about to speak but he looked away and talked to the person next to him.

* * *

Sharpay sat on the bed, fully intent on watching Zeke, who was sitting on the floor near the bed. She was well aware of the fact that her hands were visibly shaking, though she was too tired to care anymore. She wanted to smack herself for falling for the trap Ryan and Troy set up. How could she be so stupid as to fall for a stupid plan like that? And what happened to "twins had connections"? She didn't foresee anything like this.

Zeke removed his coat and glanced at her and for a moment, she saw her Zeke. The Zeke that used to bake for her. The Zeke that loved her.

He banged on the door again and groaned loudly. "Ryan! Ryan! Troy!" He yelled in failure. "Get me the hell out of here or I swear to God, I will strangle you once I get out!"

"Stop yelling," Sharpay quietly said. She knew she was supposed to act icy now, but she couldn't bear to do it with the way Zeke was acting. When he glanced at her, she saw the guilt that sent tremors down her spine. She always had a soft spot for that baking boy.

"They're all downstairs, see?" She looked behind the bed to the window, confirming her suspicions that everyone had been plotting against them. They were all dining happily. There was no search party looking for them.

* * *

Hayden tuned out Xander's never-ending chatter when her grandmother stood from the end of the extremely long table and looked at her with a smile.

"Oh, fucking no," she whispered under her breath when Lily took a glass of champagne and clicked it noisily, easily gaining the attention of everyone. Hayden took her own glass of champagne and drank it straight. She ordered for another from the waiter. She did not need this right now.

"Ladies, Gentlemen," Lily started, looking at everyone with a bright smile. Hayden saw her grandfather on the other end of the table, his head shaking in a disapproving manner. "First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming on such short notice." Nods and laughs were the reaction she received.

"Second of all, I would like to personally introduce you to my granddaughter, Blair Hayden Evans-Baylor." Hayden smiled at her grandmother, albeit, unwillingly. "Blair, honey, stand up and allow everyone to see you."

"Grandmother," Hayden spoke up from her seat. "I'm sure that is not necessary. I mean, I've already met them before the dinner started."

Ryan leaned towards her and discreetly whispered, "It's best not to disagree with her."

"Come on, Blair," her grandmother spoke up again and Hayden was forced to stand up and look at everyone. Her eyes lingered just a little bit longer when they passed by Cristiano. He simply refused to meet her gaze.

"Thank you, Grandmother, for the dinner made especially for my welcoming. Everyone has been so welcoming and nice towards me - it's overwhelming." Hayden wasn't in a drama club for nothing. Her lies slipped smoothly from her tongue. She really didn't want any of this.

She wanted a small, private family dinner and instead she got a dinner party with lots of people she didn't know – lots of old people. She wanted a happy family and instead she got a mother and father who were now currently missing. God, she wished they weren't killing each other right now. She wanted her best friend to trust her and tell her what was bothering him but she ended up making things worse for them.

Hayden never really got what she wanted. Things people assumed were wrong.

"To my wonderful, perfect granddaughter," Lily toasted, and everybody followed.

Damn it. Why don't they get it? She was not perfect – far from it.

* * *

Zeke made the mistake of looking at Sharpay once, and he wasn't about to repeat his mistake again. He used to be smarter, but with the confusion, anger, and guilt, everything got mixed up in his head. He blamed no one but himself for getting into this situation. He could not believe his friends plotted behind his back – every single one of them. Zeke knew they only meant good but it still hurt.

He was trapped in a room with the mother of his child. The one he swore to hate because of her departure, but could never manage to.

Zeke stopped his pace and watched Sharpay curiously pick up a small photo album on the bedside table. He watched her face, the mask of nonchalance and calmness broke, initially showing a rare Sharpay Evans smile. That smile used to be reserved for him and only him. He leaned on the bookcase, discreetly craning his neck to see what had caused such a reaction.

Sharpay looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Is this Hayden?"

He slowly walked towards her until he was seated on the floor beside her, his back leaning on the bed. Zeke couldn't help but smile as well. One-year-old Hayden looked like she was running towards the camera in nothing but her diapers. Her short blond hair was sticking up in every angle as she gave the camera a wide and happy grin.

"Yes," he breathed slowly, his fingers making their way to the album as they traced the figure. "That's my little girl."

"Our," Sharpay corrected sternly, quietly wiping the away the tears before they fell. "Our little girl."

Sharpay turned the next page, softly moving his hand away. The next picture made Sharpay's posture straighten and Zeke looked at the picture. The background had a four-year-old Hayden on top of Zeke's shoulder and the side of the picture had Ryan's eye.

"It would've looked better with you there, instead of Ryan."

Sharpay turned her head around and gazed at Zeke's face. "I can't change the past, Zeke. No matter how hard I try or wish for time to go back." She tried to blink away the tears.

"You never came back." Sharpay turned her head towards the window as she heard the clicking of glasses. "I waited for a year, Sharpay. Whenever the doorbell rang, I always hoped it was you." Zeke passed by the pages until he stopped at the last one. He was greeted with a recent picture of Hayden, Ryan, and Cristiano on Hayden's birthday a year ago. He grimaced when he realized he didn't make it to that party.

"She looks like you."

Sharpay weakly smiled. "So I've been told." She closed the album and tried to stop her wildly beating heart.

"I – I was supposed to go on a plane back to Albuquerque a few days before Hayden's first birthday," Sharpay whispered, her hands uncontrollably shaking. "But when I woke up that morning, I got an envelope from you."

Zeke's heart sank when he realized what he sent back then. "Th-that was the . . ."

"I burned my ticket after I opened the brown envelope," Sharpay whispered hoarsely, desperately blinking back the tears. "I just blamed myself for being too late. I thought you never wanted to see me again."

Zeke's hand made its way to the front of the album where Sharpay's left hand still laid. He tentatively placed his hand over hers. He felt worse when she didn't pull away from the contact.

"The divorce papers stopped you from coming home."

* * *

_Tada, tada, TADA! :) Two chapters in one day. Be happy for me, won't you? Do you love me? You should. I wrote everyday during my Holiday Vacation. :) Take that effing writer's block! AHA! HURAAAAAH! :))_

_Now, be a dear and wait patiently for my next update which is soon. I've already written chapters 9 and 10. And I'm currently working with chapter 11. _

_Yes, I know I rock. :P Now, be a sweetie and tell me what you think. Blair will bake cupcakes for you. :) No, joke. You don't need to review. I don't like asking for reviews. I'm weird, I know. _

_Belated Happy New Year! *cue fiction fireworks in head*_

_...okay, so I'm hyper because of chocolate. Don't blame me. Blame the people who thought chocolate would be the best gift for Christmas. Haha. :P_


	9. I Must Quit Drugs? No, I Must Quit You

**I Must Quit - Drugs? No, I Must Quit You**

**By: **beachbumyeahh

* * *

_"I thought that if I didn't go and play,_

_The sadness would get bored and go away._

_I thought that if I didn't go astray,_

_That all my pain would be in yesterday._

_But it's true, _

_I'm still blue._

_But I finally know what to do,_

_I must quit, I must quit, you."_

* * *

They could both hear the voices from downstairs. Sharpay never thought she'd dislike being locked in her room with the man she loved, but she did. She hated the awkwardness that was suffocating her and probably him as well. She hated the fact that whenever Zeke was around, she just couldn't win, and every secret they'd kept unravelled before their very eyes.

Sharpay never commented after Zeke mentioned the papers; she didn't want to remember. She simply pulled her hand back and quietly studied the carpet. Her heart was beating with intensity; she was surprised Zeke hadn't complained about it, Sharpay swore it beat so loud.

She turned her head and watched Zeke beside her. He had his head on top of the bed and his eyes closed. He looked almost peaceful.

"I'm sorry for liking your best friend." She didn't know why she brought it up, but Sharpay felt like she needed to.

Zeke lifted his head and looked at her blankly, "That was in high school, it's long been forgiven."

"It must've hurt watching me pine for him," she commented, remembering her pathetic attempts. "I never really apologized."

Zeke sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's alright."

_"It's going to be alright." _

_Zeke placed a hand on Sharpay's shoulder, trying in vain to calm the hyperventilating woman. She shrugged off his hand and paced back and forth in front of him. She heard the timer go off and her face paled. _

_"Oh my God," she __whispered, covering her mouth with a hand._

_"Whatever the result is, I will never leave you." Zeke wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "I will always be here, Sharpay." He kissed her forehead softly before lightly pushing her towards the awaiting test results that was resting on top of the desk._

_Sharpay walked slowly and every step felt like a stab through her chest. She stopped just in front of the desk and before looking at the result; she looked towards the ceiling and closed her eyes. She prayed for blue. _

_She took the stick and her knees started to shake. She never detested the colour pink so badly – because everyone knew, pink meant positive._

_"I prayed for blue," __she barely whispered and her eyes connected Zeke's grey, smoke-like eyes. "And I got pink – God's giving me penance for my sins."_

_Zeke fainted._

_There goes his statement, down the drain – so much for, "it's going to be alright"._

"It's either you thought of something funny and hadn't thought of sharing it or you're temporarily insane." Zeke's voice brought her out of thoughts. Sharpay turned her head sharply and narrowed her eyes and huffed. He just had to ruin their somewhat-peaceful moment.

"Do you remember the day when I first truly confirmed I was pregnant?" She questioned and it took a moment before realization sunk in Zeke's face. "You fainted. It would've been hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that I was scared shitless."

Zeke made a face, "I went seventeen years without remembering that. You just had to jab my man ego."

Sharpay laughed harmoniously with Zeke's deep chuckles. Sometime during the laughter, they managed to scoot closer together until, suddenly, Sharpay could feel Zeke's gradually quieting chuckles near her ear. She could feel his breath, sending a certain tingling through her skin as her own laughter stopped.

For that little moment, they were Sharpay and Zeke, two people who loved each other. They couldn't deny that fact when it was right in front of their faces, their eyes publishing every emotion they tried to hide.

Sharpay looked into his eyes and found no trace of anger or disgust – she only found love and adoration. This was her Zeke, the Zeke that loved her – the man she agreed to spend the rest of her life with. This Zeke, she loved.

"I love you, Sharpay." Sharpay felt her lips slowly moved upwards into a dopey grin as she continued to stare in the eyes of the man she loved. That was good right? She loved him, he loved her. Love didn't exactly put things back to the way they were, but they could mend it. This felt right, her life felt complete. She had her daughter, and now, the man she loved was right in front of her, confessing that he still loved her as well.

"Zeke." She felt like she was drowning in his gaze – his hazy, stormy orbs that never failed to look beautiful. "I love you too. I never stopped, to be honest. I'm sorry for everything – for leaving, for hurting you and Hayden." She started to lean towards him, to close the small amount of space between them and for a moment, he was doing the same thing.

"No," Zeke whispered before softly pushing her away, his hands on her shoulders. His eyes darkened with hurt, anger, and regret. "I love you, Sharpay. I just don't think I can forgive you yet."

Sharpay's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at his hands, still lightly placed on her shoulders. His touch seemed to burn her as she pushed him away; a humourless, emotionless chuckle escaped her lips. "Why do I even bother," she muttered before walking towards the other side of the room. She didn't even stop the tears from trailing down her cheeks; she didn't try to muffle her sobs because it was all in vain.

He saw her cry before, so there was really no goal to reach in trying to stop her emotions.

How could she be so stupid as to let her guard down? She bit her lip and looked towards the window, silently listening to the voices outside. Every once and awhile, a sniffle would escape. Tears continued to cascade down her face silently. She had been stupid to tell how she felt. It would've been better if she had just stayed silent.

This wasn't a part of her fairy tale dreams. That dream crashed long ago when she had woken up in the hospital alone and escaped everyone. This was real life and he couldn't forgive her. She cursed herself for being so stupid. How could Zeke forgive her when Sharpay couldn't even forgive herself?

* * *

Blair shut the door, completely worn out – saying goodbye to complete strangers was absolutely tiring. She had yet to find out where her parents were, but if they did leave, at least she had a way to come home; Zeke had left the car. Ryan seemed a bit jumpy as well – only staying in her grandfather's study with Troy and Gabriella. Xander left, thank Lord for that, she thought.

She was about to check the backyard again, to make sure everybody had left when she heard the furious whispering coming from outside. Blair hid herself carefully and listened.

"What are you trying to pull off, Cristiano?" She strained her head and confirmed her suspicions – it was indeed Victor Darbus with his son. "Are you absolutely trying to show everyone how you're a teenager who's addicted to alcohol and all other vices? All you had to do was to play nice for tonight, only tonight. Why can't you do that?"

Blair clutched the curtain, restraining herself from running outside to support Darbus when she heard her best friend's response, "They already know what I am, Father. I'm the epitome of all things gone wrong. Open your eyes; I'm not the perfect son you want me to be."

Darbus sounded so honest; Blair concluded that he must be drunk – or close to border line of complete and utter intoxication.

"You're eighteen years old, son. You need to grow up someday. Stop acting like such a child," the older Darbus snapped.

Darbus laughed darkly, "I'll grow up when you will, Dad." He spat out the word 'Dad' as if it was the most disgusting thing that had ever rolled off his tongue.

"And what is that supposed to mean? You must've forgotten that I'm the father and you're the son. You do not disrespect me or else – "

Another chortle made Blair's stomach wave another round of sickness. "Or what, you'll disown me? Cut my fund?" A long pause happened before Blair jumped at the sound of glass breaking. She peeped to find broken shards of glass on the floor, the wall soaked in scotch. "You act like I'm nothing like you. But you are, though; I'm not as cold hearted as you. If I could, I wouldn't let my mother die while I go mingle with people who are as boring as hell."

"Is this what this is about? Your grandmother is fine."

Blair cringed. "Fuck you and your lying ass, _Dad_." The sliding door glass suddenly opened and Blair's eyes widened – she didn't have time to run and pretend that she wasn't eavesdropping.

Darbus stopped in mid-stride to glance at the spot where Blair was standing guiltily. A mixture of anger, hurt, and betrayal graced his face. "Were you eavesdropping, Evans?" He rolled his eyes icily. "You know what? Fuck you, too." With that, he glided towards the front door with Blair following quietly behind him.

She silently watched him growl for his coat and she stepped forward when he opened the front door. Darbus looked at her before walking out, marching towards the already-open car door.

She wanted to call out to him, tell him he wasn't alone – that Blair was there for him. That she'd always be there. That was what friends did, right?

But she couldn't move; she stayed rooted on the same spot, depending on the doorframe for support. It was at that moment, she realized how gracefully he moved, even in his drunkenness and anger. With every step he took, his feet looked as if it never touched the ground, merely floated.

"Cristiano Demetri Darbus!" She merely shrugged her shoulders when a loud voice appeared next to her. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

"You march back here, or I swear to God - " The older Darbus started to mumble incoherent words – no matter how hard Blair tried to understand him, she just couldn't.

The younger Darbus spun around so quickly and so suddenly, Blair felt fear for him for a fraction of a second. Darbus gripped the car door tightly, she could clearly see that. She braced herself for the shouting that was bound to happen between the father and the son.

And then, he looked at her.

And almost as soft as the wind, he called out to her, "Blair,"

That was all she needed. She walked out of the house, closed the door, and entered the car. She didn't need any more words if Cristiano Darbus begged – his emerald eyes glinting in helplessness, his lips tormented in a frown, and his voice drowning in sorrow.

Later on, Blair realized that she hadn't even gotten herself her coat or even her Sidekick. She didn't even tell anyone where she was going, but hopefully, they trusted her enough not to worry. Blair readjusted her dress, not wanting to wrinkle anything, before glancing at the man beside her.

With his head almost lolling off the seat, his eyes closed, and his lips in a frown, he looked like a tormented child unable to buy a toy for the night. She gave a small, almost inaudible sigh. Darbus really was stronger than her, for if it had been her, she would already be halfway done with her breakdown.

Blair pursed her lips in thought as he raised his head to look at her questioningly. It had always been Darbus trying to comfort her after a fight with a parent, not the other way around. She raised her left hand and reached for his head, slowly pulling him to her shoulder.

Darbus closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pulled down. It felt nice to be cared about every once and awhile. Blair kissed the top of his head softly, wishing that she could somehow make this easier. He always managed to cheer her up when she felt down because of her parents and now, she didn't know how to return the favour.

His voice blended with the quiet buzzing the car made, almost inaudible, "Thank you."

Cristiano Darbus never said "thank you", so Blair knew that, after that, there was no need for words.

* * *

Zeke exerted the effort to stand up and walk until he was once again towering over a sobbing Sharpay. This seemed like a regular routine now. She glanced upwards, her eyes red-rimmed and her makeup ruined. He didn't care though – he always did like Sharpay the best when her face was clean of makeup.

He crashed down in the spot next to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She pounded her fists on his chest but he fought against it. Zeke kept his hold tight until she finally gave up and sobbed on his chest. He whispered soothing words in her ear as she sobbed out incoherent words.

What did she expect him to do; lie to her and tell her he'd already forgiven her? That he was already past the hurt she'd caused? He absolutely despised himself for doing this to her, for hurting her, and he knew that the days to follow would hurt much more. Zeke loved her, he always would, but he was not past the hurt and betrayal yet.

This one was a hurt-hurt situation.

Zeke stroked her hair and rubbed soothing circles on her back until she eventually fell asleep in his arms. He cradled her protectively, as if he was trying to shield her from the world where no one was safe from pain and suffering. Zeke knew that this would be the only time they'd get together and do this.

The door opened and revealed Ryan, Gabriella, and Troy peering curiously inside – probably wondering why the room looked so orderly, as if nothing was thrown from one side to another. Zeke scooped Sharpay in his arms and told them that he was going to take her home to Ryan's house and that he'd talk to them tomorrow. The trio just stared at him – he hoped they felt guilty for locking them up alone; after all, it did only end up hurting both of them more.

His Ice Princess slept in his arms on the way to the house and on the trek towards the room she was staying in. Zeke gently laid her on the bed, taking of her shoes and jewellery in an attempt to make her feel more comfortable. He tucked her in and kissed her cheek softly.

"Good night, my wife," he whispered before leaving – the feeling in his chest was too overwhelming for him to handle. All he wanted to do was to crawl in his bed and allow himself to go unconscious as well. He always did welcome his dreams with open arms – after all, they were all about the little family Zeke could've had, a beautiful wife and an equally beautiful daughter.

* * *

**A/N:** Man, I am so tired. I feel as if my body's lacking every vitamin known to man. And my feet! Don't even get me started on how sore my feet are. It feels as if I just walked the death march. You guys are even lucky I'm updating today and not tomorrow. LOL. Anyway, getting back to the story . . .

First of all, thank you. Thank you for everyone who replied back to my chapter/AN. Your thoughts and comments of support really made me feel better. Thank you for my wonderful beta, as well. For without her, the story would suck. LOL. So, go on, everybody give **K. Bears** a well earned round of applause.

Second, HURAAAAH! Beat that, you freaking writer's effing block! :P

And last, I'd like to know what you think. PM me, or review, whatever. I'm serious when I say this: I do not know what to do. So, I'm giving you a set of questions which you may answer by submitting a review or PM-ing me.

1. What do you think about the whole marriage-divorce-whatever between ZS? What do you think is the real story behind it?

2. What do you think about Blair, Cristiano, and Xander? Do you guys like the parts of the story where I insert the teens? I might add new ones that may be essential to the plot, but I want to know your opinions first.

3. Does Ryan deserve someone special in the story? I just might have the right plot for him . . .

4. Or you'd rather make him turn gay? Honestly, well . . . never mind. LOL.

5. Someone's not so innocent. It could be anyone, really. Tell me who you think it is?

6. HEY DUDE! This is all just a plan, a silly excuse for you guys to give me reviews. KIDDING! LOL. I just made you smile, didn't I?

But seriously. Reviews people. :))

7. More Zeke and Sharpay, then? Or more Sharpay-centric? Or Zeke-centric? If I were you, I'd pick the first. They're pretty effing awesome to me - but together, they're magical. wtf. Did I just say magical? Or type? Whatever. LOL.

Claps for me! I made a really long author's note to pretend as if I just gave you a long chapter. KIDDING! But seriously, you need to answer those questions for me to do the next chapter. So, come on. Comments, suggestions, and possibly violent reactions? Dear Lord, I hope not. :)

:)

* * *


	10. Of Damns, Fucks, and Oh Hell No’s

**Chapter 9: **Of Damns, Fucks, and Oh Hell No's

By: beachbumyeahh

* * *

Blair frowned, holding the phone close to her ear.

_Hey, this is Sharpay. Leave a message and I just might get back to you._

A dry sob escaped her lips and she couldn't help but throw the wretched device to the other side of the room in frustration. Blair hid behind her covers, still clad in her pyjamas. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, clearly done hastily. Just when she had started liking this town, trouble had come and now, she was back to square one – alone and completely despising Albuquerque.

Zeke was in Chicago for some convention she couldn't care less about; that had always been their routine before moving to this town. She didn't even bother calling him. Blair was used to Zeke's absence. It was nothing out of the ordinary. She actually counted the days until he left again. She was convinced that the only reason Zeke had been staying for the past couple of days was because of her mother. He didn't like her being around Sharpay.

Sharpay has been MIA ever since the dinner and Blair did not want to go to the house. What if her mother didn't really want to see her? She'd wait until Sharpay reached out to her. Of course, that didn't work out too well for her. Blair _tried_ to call her maybe once, or twice – five times, really. She was fine with her father's absence, but her mother – who had been there ever since they'd worked things out – being absent was taking its toll on her. Blair was getting attached too fast.

Ryan was busy doing God knew what. It must've been very important – he wouldn't answer her calls, either.

And Darbus – well, she wouldn't dare call him. Blair could call him, but she wouldn't allow herself – no, not since the dinner and especially not since the events of the day before. The day she'd call him would be the day the coroner would proclaim her dead or the day he'd take back what he said.

_The car finally halted to a stop, ending their two hour drive around town. Darbus' eyes finally opened and glanced at her. Somehow, through the course of the ride, Blair had dragged his head to her lap. She played with his hair, twirling it around her fingers, her eyebrows crunching together as she watched Darbus. Blair couldn't just ignore the sudden shake of his shoulders every once and awhile. To say that he was really upset would be an understatement._

_"__Well, this is my stop," Blair mumbled, waiting for him to sit up._

_He looked up at her blankly, though she could see the corners of his mouth turning upwards. She resisted the urge to smile. "Aren't you going to sit up? I can't get out if you're on my lap."_

_"__I like it here – very comfy." Darbus smirked, moving his head to emphasize his statement. _

_She placed a hand on his face, roughly pushing him to the side. "You are such a pig."_

_He eventually sat up when she tried to cover his nose and mouth to stop him from breathing. Blair had to do a double take – one moment, he was close to smiling and the next, he had his blank mask on again. She sighed worriedly, not knowing what to do._

_"__What's on your mind?"_

_He brushed his hand through his thick hair, "I was thinking about my mother."_

_Blair nodded – it seemed like they were all having parental problems. Susan Darbus was one of the kindest people she'd ever met, and one of the most pure-hearted, too. Susan would always invite her over whenever she noticed that Zeke wasn't home. While Darbus was never a moral compass, he grew worse after his mother passed._

_"__She was great, Cris – "_

_"__I like you."_

_It all went spiralling downwards after that. _

_"__No, not like," he murmured, his arm tightening around her waist. She still hadn't pulled away. Blair was starting to wonder if she had gone catatonic without even noticing. "I know I'm in love with you, Blair Evans-Baylor and all the other names you might have."_

_She didn't have an answer; she didn't want to answer. This was her best friend, her partner in crime; her only true friend. She didn't want that to change. Not now, not ever. She wanted to escape the confinement of the car; she wanted to be able to breathe freely. She wanted her space. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to think. _

_The next thing Blair knew, the car had stopped and Cristiano's lips were millimetres away from her own. If the car happened to hit a bump, they could have accidentally kissed already. She propelled herself to the other side of the car and glanced at him apologetically before getting out and escaping into her house._

_She didn't miss the hurt that passed through his features._

Blair sighed and rolled over, purposely ignoring the tears that cascaded down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to turn back time and stay in California – away from Darbus, away from the drama, away from everything. If she was still there, Darbus wouldn't have told her he loved her. She would've been on the beach, feeling every boy's eyes on her body and she would've been followed by her persistent minions. But then again, if she was in California, she would've never met her mother and never got an inch closer to her father.

_The door suddenly opened, forcing her to turn around sharply to glare at the intruder. Blair's eyes softened and her lips turned into a sad frown, "Ever heard of knocking, Darbus? Or has love made you forget?"_

_"__We need to talk about us." He deadpanned, closing the door. _

_Blair turned around, refusing to look at his eyes. She busied herself and started to arrange the different bottles on her vanity. Perfumes, face products, hair products . . . _

_"__What is there to talk about?" She snapped harshly, hearing his footsteps inch closer towards her. "There is no 'us' to begin with, Darbus."_

_"__I meant what I said – "_

_Blair spun around so quickly, she gripped the table for support. She began taking short breaths, her eyes dancing with rage. "You were drunk! You're not in love with me! You can't be! Love is not in your vocabulary! I'm not even sure you're capable of loving anyone besides yourself!"_

_He opened his mouth, about to defend his argument, but she would have none of it. She needed to get her point across. "You go around and screw with anybody willing enough and now," Blair raised an eyebrow and laughed mockingly. "Now, you've decided to screw with our friendship!"_

_Darbus turned around and yanked the door open. He gripped the doorknob tightly as he looked back, a dark smirk on his face. "Friends?" He scoffed. "Oh, come on, Evans! Face the music. We have never been just friends – no matter what you say." _

_Maybe it would have hurt her less if he gave a damn to slam the door shut._

Blair stood up and walked out her room. She needed new scenery. Her room was too bright, too yellow for her mood today. She walked inside her father's study, switching on the lights to the dark room.

"Jesus Christ," she murmured under her breath, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. Zeke's desk was cluttered with papers. At first, she thought someone went through her father's things; but no one could do that – no one would have the guts to. Zeke was a powerful person if he decided to use his authority.

Blair walked towards the desk, comfortably sitting on the comfy office chair. The room was very bland, the walls covered with dark brown wood and expressing professionalism. There were exactly four pictures up on the wall.

One was a solo picture of her – Blair didn't fail to blush looking at herself.

The second one was a picture of her and Ryan during her seventh birthday. Her face was covered in face paint, looking like a tiger. Her lips were stretched in a wide grin to match Ryan's – he was painted as the devil, red paint and all.

The third one was Zeke, clad in a pinstriped tuxedo that matched his big, toothy grin, outside his restaurant's headquarters in New York. The building towered over Zeke – it was, after all, twenty-five storeys tall.

And the fourth picture was an old high school picture Blair never really noticed. It was placed on the far corner of the room, covered in darkness, as if the one who placed it never wanted anyone to see it. Blair stood up and picked the frame before sitting back down on the office chair. A small gasp echoed around the empty space as she clutched the frame tightly.

She'd never seen this photograph before.

It was the only evidence she needs to prove to everyone and herself that pure love existed between her parents. Sharpay was dressed in a silk, black gown that reached the floor while Zeke was clad in a classic tux. Her father had Sharpay dipped, their noses almost touching. Blair wished she'd seen them dance – it would've been one for the ages. Zeke's eyes sparkled under the large chandelier – even a stranger would detect the adoration the man felt for this woman. He held her so closely, intent on protecting her from any harm. Meanwhile, Sharpay had her arms around his neck; her face looked like she was just about to laugh. Her lips were creasing upwards in a relaxed and content smile.

They looked in love. But the two beings pictured in front of her weren't present during the dinner. Blair couldn't sense the same love between the pair in the picture and her parents. What if the love wasn't there anymore?

Blair jumped and accidentally let the frame slide out as somebody began to knock on the door. She flinched as glass spilled on the wooden floor. She bent down to scoop up the glass when a discarded piece of paper under the desk caught her eye.

"Holy mother of God," she breathed, her eyes scanning the thin piece of bond paper. Her head felt dizzy as she slowly and carefully sat herself on one part of the floor that wasn't covered with glass. She felt sick to her stomach. "How the hell . . ."

The sheet of paper held Zeke's signature and the other one was left blank – these were divorce papers dated sixteen years ago.

When the fuck did her parents marry?

"Miss Blair! Telephone for you! A Miss Darbus is requesting for you?" The door suddenly burst open and she had no choice but to stand up and act as if she hadn't just seen the papers.

Blair suddenly felt sicker – a whole lot sicker, the stomach churning, head aching, end of the world kind of sick.

* * *

Sharpay nervously bit her bottom lip as she continued to watch the phone vibrate over and over again. She descended down the stairs, clad in her silver, silk robe with her golden hair locked in an elegant bun. She held the phone tightly as she glided towards the kitchen, intent on watching the name "Hayden" flash through the screen, ring per ring.

"Miss Sharpay," Glenda scolded as she handed her Sharpay's morning coffee. "You must answer the mobile. It might be important."

Sharpay sipped on her coffee slowly, allowing the heat to warm every part of her body. "It's unimportant." Her lie slipped easily through her lips, and fortunately, her grandmother's trusty maid didn't seem to notice it.

She had her eyes closed in ecstasy – coffee always seemed to calm her nerves – when the old maid grabbed her phone to look at whoever is calling. "Little Miss Sharpay is calling! Answer!" Her eyes darted open to see Glenda holding the phone with a disbelieving look.

"Give me that!" She snapped, placing the cup down. Sharpay hastily took the mobile and glared at her unflinching maid. Glenda must have learnt from the best – her grandmother, she was far worse than her or her father. "You may leave now." The old helper left unwillingly.

Sharpay fidgeted with the cell, unable to answer it. She couldn't just tell her daughter how she left without consulting anyone to fly to the other side of the world like she had done many years ago. That would've sent Hayden into a fit – well, maybe. Sharpay convinced herself that she didn't know her well enough to make sure. For all she knew, Hayden still had some anger hidden beneath her friendly exterior.

Finally, to her happiness, the phone stopped and the screen flashed the fact that she had one missed call.

"I'm sorry," Sharpay quietly whispered to the mobile, wishing that Hayden would hear her and forgive her. She just couldn't face her biggest fear and at the same time her biggest want, no, her biggest need – Zeke. No matter how much she loved her daughter, she was just too vulnerable around the father. And Sharpay Evans could never be vulnerable around him. Never.

* * *

Zeke shuffled from one foot to another, desperately trying to calm himself down as he pressed the BlackBerry to his ear. His hands were shaking, anxiously awaiting the other line's voice.

"Hello?" A gruff voice finally answered.

Zeke sat himself down on his hotel room's bed and bit his bottom lip nervously.

"Who is this?" He heard noises before the voice returned. "What the hell do you want Zeke? It's three in the morning and unless you didn't know, normal people sleep at this hour," the voice snapped grumpily.

He sighed before replying, "How is she?"

"She's fine and finally out of her room," Ryan remarked. "I'm really worried about her, Zeke. She hasn't been out of the house since last week – no dates, no practices, and no visits from or to friends."

"My little girl's tough. I was asking about _her_." Zeke kicked his shoes off and lied on the bed. He wasn't one to worry about creasing his expensive tuxedo.

"You called me at this ungodly hour to ask about my twin sister who's millions of miles away?" Ryan mumbled. "Why don't you call her yourself? Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but deal it out, okay? Blair's heart is on the line here. She worships her mother, Zeke. You can't just tear her away from my sister."

Zeke's heart stopped – it was _déjà vu_ all over again. He felt cold, he felt scared, and he felt . . . absolutely, positively livid. His head was thumping painfully and he had the urge to break something, to throw something.

"Millions of miles away?" Zeke managed to croak out, his voice raspy.

He heard groans and clicking of lights before Ryan finally replied, slightly easing Zeke's anxiousness. "Yeah. You didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?" His voice went an octave higher as he sat up; trying to deny the information his brain was forcing him to process. He sounded like a teenager going through puberty again.

She couldn't . . . she just couldn't do that . . . not again. No! She just couldn't.

Ryan sighed softly before slowly speaking. "She's gone to Paris for a few days –" He didn't even get to finish his sentence for Zeke hang up on him as fast as he could.

Zeke stood up and threw on his coat quickly, his fingers already scanning through his contacts for her number. This was what he was afraid of. She's run away again, this time leaving a bigger mess than before. How could she leave her daughter behind after seeing how much Hayden loved her? A few days can turn into forever. Zeke left with the reassurance that at least one parent was around their daughter.

Parents. That was what they were – parents to their daughter, their daughter who's been in a bad condition since realizing that it isn't normal to have a daddy without a mommy. And neither of them were doing a good job of being one.

Hayden needed her mother.

Zeke needed to fix this fuck of a family, quick.

"Hello?"

Zeke slammed the door closed, already strolling off with his luggage.

"Get ready; I'm coming to pick you up. You just can't run away like that anymore." He muttered before snapping the phone shut, already stepping inside a taxi. He wasn't going to let her get away again. He was doing this for his family, for Hayden.

On the ride over, Zeke kept telling himself that the only reason he was flying across the globe was for his daughter. It wasn't because of the fact that he was afraid that he wouldn't see Sharpay again. It wasn't.

It couldn't. He couldn't care about her like that anymore.

* * *

He turned around the corner, his body instantly turning rigid at the man in front of him. He glared at the smug smile on the bastard's face. So, someone finally took a closer look and found out about him.

"Well, well, well," he jumped when the boy, merely a man, took a step closer to him. "Looks like Albuquerque's finest aren't so fine, after all. I knew you were well screwed up, but this is just priceless."

But then again, he was merely a man as well.

"Get lost," he muttered, trying to find an opening through which he could escape from the Godforsaken alley. His shoulders started to shake and everything he had just taken in started to take effect inside of his body.

"I wonder what people'll think once they find out you're worse off than they originally thought?"

His body shook dangerously at the mere mention of her. His eyes were flashing angrily at him. "God, just leave me the fuck be," he muttered, each word slow and threatening.

The other boy smirked widely now. "You're a disgrace."

"And you are an ass." He hid the package inside his coat and formed a fist, cursing loudly when his hand connected to the brick wall. "God, damn it!"

"You can't even distinguish the wall from my face." He chuckled loudly, watching him stagger around the alley. "You disgust me. Pathetic." He calmly walked towards the cursing young man and kneed him in the stomach, watching in delight as he slid down the wall.

A mutter entwined under the power of a voice so powerful and angry.

"Son of a bitch."

A distant chuckle came from the opening of the alley.

"We all know you're one. Your mother's a huge bitch, that's why she's dead, isn't it?"

* * *

**AN: **Do people still read this? Oh dear, I hope so! :(

Huwaaaaaaaw. Son of a gun. I know. I know. It's been ages since my last update, but - dare I say it - blame only me and _fanfiction (dot) net_. Well, me because I just couldn't write the right chapter. I'm not even happy with this. But, alas, I have to update some time soon. I'll try and make the next chapters worthwhile. And blame _fanfiction (dot) net_ because they had a little problem with the docx delivery between me and my beta. :)

I need more reviews to get me hyped up. So, here, I ask in the nicest way possible, could you guys give more reviews? :) I'm not forcing you, but it would really help. :)

OH! And I lost my USB with the next chapter in it. Have you guys seen it? :))

May I remind you, the next chapter is pure ZS. No other characters are involved in the next chapter. Just Zeke and Sharpay. Sharpay and Zeke. Baker Boy and Drama Queen. I intend it to be long and quite dramatic, so come on, prepare yourselves. :)

. . . . Just as soon as I find my USB. Darn it! :(


	11. The End Of The End: Part 1

******Chapter 11 : The End of the End: Part 1**

**_by: beachbumyeahh_**

**_

* * *

_**

Sharpay moved her gaze from the mirror to the wretched mobile on top of her bed. She glared at it softly before turning back to the vanity, running a hand through her golden curls. She pursed her ruby lips together, scrutinizing every detail of her face.

She looked perfect – a classic Barbie doll.

Sharpay glanced down on her outfit and smiled lightly. She was dressed in a classic SE outfit. White slacks topped with a sparkling pink top. She found this in her closet while she was trying to calm herself down by arranging her clothes. She looked like her old seventeen year old self – like Hayden, though the two had a couple of differences. For one, Hayden was tan while Sharpay had her alabaster skin. She was tan for awhile – during her teenage years –, though, of course, she wasn't naturally tan like her daughter.

A knock on the door hadn't surprised her. She simply turned around and muttered a welcome.

"Miss Sharpay? A Mister Baylor is waiting downstairs."

Sharpay nodded and quietly thanked the maid. "I'll be down in a minute. Tell him to wait."

When she heard the door shut, she turned back to her vanity and sighed.

_Still perfect, still so Barbie-esque. _

This was it. If Zeke wanted a formal confrontation, then he'd get one.

But she wanted the old Zeke, like how he got the old Sharpay. She didn't want to talk to a robot. She wanted to talk with an actual human being.

* * *

The plane ride didn't really do anything but turn his nerves worse. Zeke stood outside the Evans' gate with his suitcase – in his haste to leave he only managed to bring one suitcase – by his feet. His jacket was placed on top of his suitcase and his blue long-sleeved shirt was rolled until his elbow. He looked like the character of Will Smith in his movie, _Pursuit of Happiness_ – except, he wasn't exactly homeless or looking for a job.

The vineyard was exactly how he imagined it to be – large and green. It looked even better than Lava Springs. The house could pass up as a country club. At first, Zeke thought he gave the taxi driver the wrong address. That was until he saw the two letters molded onto the large gold gate. The letters G and E meant Georgina Evans, the grandmother of his daughter's mother – one of the most legendary of the Evans. Up until now, he never found out why she was one of the most legendary.

Zeke finally moved himself and pressed the doorbell that had been in front of his face ever since he'd stepped foot outside the taxi. The speaker suddenly let out a sigh – it sounded almost relieved – and a booming, French-accented voice spoke.

"American boy, you are?"

Zeke raised an eyebrow and slowly spoke up, feeling very foolish. "Zeke Baylor. Sharpay Evans is expecting me."

He heard the voice whisper to probably another member of the guards before speaking again. "Ah. Yes. Miss Evans. Come in." The gates suddenly parted sideways, allowing him entrance.

Zeke coughed loudly when he heard a distinct whisper of _"American bastard hurt boss." _And moved further until he reached the front door where he was ushered hurriedly inside.

* * *

Sharpay slowly descended down the grand staircase, wondering if she would ever get some peace in her life again. "Then again, my life has never been peaceful. Why start now?" She whispered to herself as she walked in and out of the labyrinth-like house.

Sharpay stopped behind the simple, white door and breathed deeply. She could hear Zeke's feet moving about. She could almost imagine him shuffling nervously like he used to when he picked her up for their first date. That was another memory that would forever be etched in her mind. It was special.

Deciding that it was now or never, Sharpay pushed the door and stepped inside hurriedly. Zeke looked up as soon as her heels made a sound on the hard, wooden floor. He was standing by the window, probably admiring the view.

"Let's not waste time, Ezekiel." Sharpay rushed to say, rolling her eyes in the process. She carefully watched his reaction and almost chuckled to see that he was still in shock. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his mouth parted slightly. "What?"

Sharpay must've looked so superior, but really, her insides were shaking with nervousness.

"Sha-Sharpay?"

She never really fully realized how much she missed the sound of his nervous stutter. Sharpay inwardly smiled but a skilled actress never lets her guard down. Her eyes were still staring intently and her lips were pursed in a tight line.

"Hello, Zeke." Sharpay snapped her fingers and almost instantly, her butler appeared. She motioned for Zeke's luggage and he silently picked them up and left the room. "I don't know why you suddenly called saying you're coming here. It really bothers me that you left some creepy, cryptic message on my mobile. And I really, really hope the seven-and-a-half hour plane ride gave you painfully numb ass."

Zeke rubbed his temples and walked towards the couch to sit down. Sharpay couldn't help but move backwards, away from him. Space was all she needed to keep up her composure. As long as she wasn't near him, she could survive.

"I think –" He paused and stared at her in a way that made her shift uncomfortably. Maybe she needed space and a whole lot of other things to be able to keep her from breaking down. "I think we need to talk, Sharpay."

Sharpay almost stumbled when she heard his statement. It was a known fact that they needed to talk, yes. But she wasn't ready for this kind of talk. She was ready for a more of yelling-insulting-fighting kind of talk. After all, what happened at the dinner wasn't exactly her fairytale dream. They humiliated themselves and in Sharpay's opinion, she suffered more than he did. She confessed her feelings and as did he, but he just couldn't forgive. And it hurt.

She held her chin high and stood up straight, looking him down with eyes that betrayed her. Sharpay was sure her eyes told a different story, it detested the way she was acting because it wasn't true. She knew what her eyes were showing Zeke – tiredness from everything. Sometimes, she even wished she never came back. But that would mean she never would've known how wonderful Hayden was.

"And I think –" Sharpay bit her tongue, stopping the acidic and foul comment she was about to make. "I think you're right. Want to take a walk?"

Zeke looked around and raised an eyebrow at her. "Inside your house? I know it's big and all, but I don't exactly see ourselves walking round and round your house talking about God knows what."

Sharpay rolled her eyes at his sarcastic tone and mentally cursed at him. "No, Zeke." She never really realized what she was doing until the damage was done. Her right arm was stretched towards him, her palm invitingly open. Sharpay couldn't just retract her hand and act like she didn't just offer it. "Grandmother has a wonderful garden outside. Would you just get your head out of the gutter for a second." She added, not wanting him to feel like she was going soft.

Her arm felt heavy, as if it had been like that for hours but really, it had only been a couple of seconds. She couldn't deny the fact that she indeed felt nervous. Sharpay just didn't want to get humiliated again. There was a limit to how much humiliation a girl like Sharpay could take.

Zeke's eyes darted from her hand to her face several times before he actually moved. He stood straight and stared at her eyes. Sharpay inwardly winced at the blow and made the motion to retract her hand when a warm, slightly sweaty hand grasped hers. She stared at the conjoined hands for awhile before finally looking up to see Zeke shrug.

"Lead the way."

Sharpay grasped his hand a little bit tighter, wanting the minimal contact. "Your hand's wet." She bluntly said, trying to at least wound his pride. It would've been awkward to have stayed silently, holding hands like nothing happened in the last eighteen years.

Zeke just shrugged again but this time, his lips seemed to have curved upwards.

* * *

"Is this where you kill me?" Zeke asked loudly, his head turning around to take in the place. They were walking on a small path with trees surrounding them. It almost looked like a forest, if it weren't for the gardeners that seemed to pop out of nowhere every once in awhile with a knowing smile on their face and a hose in their hands.

Sharpay rolled her eyes for what it seemed like the tenth time since they've left the sitting room. Her right hand kept twitching, as if it missed holding Zeke's hand. After Sharpay pulled Zeke and lead him through her house and out the back door, she stealthily pulled her hand away from his. If he noticed her looking at their hands over and over again, he never said anything.

"Oh, grow up Zeke." She walked ahead of him, leading him to a series of paths until they finally stopped in front of a dead end. Sharpay sat on the lone bench and waited for him to catch up. Soon enough, Zeke awkwardly stood in front of her, looking at her in such a way that made move her eyes away from him.

"You said you wanted to talk?" Sharpay inquired, her eyes continued to look at anything but his face. She settled on his shoes that looked highly expensive. From what she could remember, Zeke wasn't one for expensive objects. He was highly satisfied at anything that made him feel comfortable.

Zeke rubbed the back of his neck, having no idea what to say exactly. Their playful atmosphere from the walk seemed to have suddenly disappeared the moment Sharpay sat on the wooden bench. "Well, I did. But now that we're here, I don't know what to say." Maybe what they needed was blunt honesty. They'd been lying too much now.

"Want to play Twenty Questions?"

Sharpay couldn't help but scoff at his question. Did he think they were still in high school? That they could solve their problems by a simple teenage game? "Sure." She suddenly answered despite her negative thoughts towards his idea.

"The rules are the same – except we can exceed the number of questions if we have to." He shrugged, choosing to sit down on the cold cement than beside her. "Who's first?"

She was about to yell out that she should always go first, but decided against it. Zeke was also looking at her, almost as if he was expecting her yell, too. "You ask first." Sharpay quietly mumbled, feeling his eyes on her face.

"Is pink still your favourite colour?"

Sharpay's head moved so fast, her neck could've snapped at that very moment. Her ocean-like eyes stared into his ashy orbs, checking if he really was serious about his question. There wasn't a hint of humour on his face. Zeke was serious.

She expected something along the lines of: _Why'd you leave? Why'd you come back? Why the hell won't you stay the fuck away from Hayden?_

"I think so." Sharpay slowly said, still confused about his question. "But, at an age like this, it doesn't matter anymore. Back in high school, it meant everything had to be pink. But now, it really doesn't mean anything anymore. I even own clothes that are orange."

Zeke let out a quiet chuckle, a faint smile appeared on his lips. But it didn't quite reach his eyes like the smiles Sharpay remembered back then. "Own something blue, then?"

"That's a secret." She winked before she could even register what she had just done. Why did she have so little control over herself whenever she was in his presence? It was frustrating. "Why did you let Hayden change her last name?"

His lips formed a thin line and Sharpay knew this was something he didn't want to talk about. She almost regretted asking – almost. She couldn't deny that the curiosity was eating at her, the need to know _why_.

* * *

Zeke froze upon hearing her question. He didn't really know why the question bothered him so much. Maybe it was because he never really thought of it, therefore he had no answer, or maybe because he couldn't remember when exactly Hayden asked him about this.

He just couldn't remember when or if she even asked him.

Zeke looked up and forced himself to look at Sharpay's curious eyes. They needed honesty – brutal honesty. "I think – I don't really – It's not that –" He placed his chin on top of his open palm, trying to gather his thoughts. That was the second time he's stuttered. "I want to be honest with you, Sharpay. I really do but – "

"Then go." Sharpay softly said, barely opening her lips. Her voice was so quiet, Zeke wasn't even sure it was her who spoke. "Tell the truth. There's no one here but me."

"You alone can make my world crumble, Sharpay. No need for anyone else." Zeke breathed out, before turning his head sideways to stare at the plants. "I don't remember. I don't remember the time when she asked me if she could change her last name. I just remember drinking that night, and then she took the perfect time to ask, and then – nothing, it's all alcohol and more blur."

Zeke buried his face on his palm, forcing himself to remember the night Hayden asked. His mind was fogged and he couldn't get access. It could've been several minutes later that Sharpay finally responded, Zeke wasn't sure how long it took her – just that he waited long enough.

"You didn't answer my question." Sharpay deadpanned. Zeke could feel her eyes on the back of his head. "Let me rephrase my question then. Do you think you would've given her permission if you were intact?"

"I think I would've, if it was what she really wanted – which I can clearly see, she does." Zeke loosened the tie around his neck and looked up at her again. "But no, I'll answer your original question. Why? I think it was because I knew what went on in Hayden's head. Not to be repetitive, but she's a lot like you. I allowed her to give up my name for yours because I knew that in her head, she thinks that it's the only thing that's the same between you two – the only mythological tie, if you will."

Zeke looked at her, carefully gauging her reaction to what he just explained. He didn't quite know if she understood his explanation – he didn't understand it much either. This had only been the second question, and they were already treading on dangerous waters.

Sharpay began to say, her face twisted in a confused mask. "It isn't the only –"

"I know. And I think she knows it now. You don't need to worry about her." Zeke suddenly had the strong urge to reassure her that Hayden no longer thought that. He wasn't sure if she did still think that but Hayden's a smart girl, she would've come to her senses by now.

Zeke watched Sharpay open and close her mouth several times, as if she wanted to speak but at the last second, thought against it. When he was absolutely sure she wouldn't respond, he cleared his throat and proceeded to ask a question that's been lurking in his head for quite some time. It wasn't too big of a deal. He didn't want to ask the big time questions just yet. Both of them weren't quite ready for that.

"Why Paris?" Zeke exasperatedly asked, allowing his arms to fall backwards, as he slightly leaned backwards. His head faced the clear blue sky and his eyes squinted at the brightness. Though the trees that surrounded them provided enough shade, he could still feel little rays of sunlight penetrating the pores of his skin. It was somewhat relaxing.

"Why not Paris, Zeke?" Sharpay answered back. He heard her shift a little and when he straightened himself, she already had her feet on top of the bench with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Zeke almost laughed when he saw her discarded heels on the ground. "It has everything I needed back then."

"What? Distance away from me? From your family? From Hayden?" Zeke quickly quipped, his face looking entirely serious. "You could've moved to New York or L.A. Why France? Why did you have to move to another country? I just –" Zeke took a deep breath to calm himself down. He could see Sharpay internally stopping herself from talking to give him time to continue. He felt grateful for that. "I just don't know what I did to have made you move to another continent."

That was lame.

He sounded lame and desperate.

_Maybe_ he was slightly bordering the lines of desperation.

Sharpay laid her head on top of her knees and gazed down on him silently. "I chose this place because it was away from everyone. Not only you, and not because of Hayden. I chose this because I wanted a place free of everything Albuquerque." She softly mumbled. "Do you want to know why I left?"

Zeke froze, his body completely stopping at that one question – the question that's been haunting his life ever since. Was he ready for whatever it was? Could he actually sit here and listen to Sharpay tell him? "I think I have the right to know." He shakily answered, dropping his eyes on the ground. He brought up his knees and rested his chin on top of it.

"I was scared –"

"Bullshit."

Sharpay narrowed her eyes at him, glaring at him half-heartedly. "I was scared of raising this baby, of raising Hayden." She continued, as if Zeke hadn't just cursed at her. "I didn't want to be pregnant at the first place, Zeke. You knew that. We were young and fresh out of college. I couldn't go out and live the life I planned with a baby attached to my hip. But you –" Sharpay chuckled dryly, earning a raised eyebrow from Zeke. "You reassured me that you wouldn't leave me. That was the only thing that kept me going through those nine months. The thought of making you happy and giving you something you absolutely loved from the moment I told you made me want to be pregnant."

Zeke suddenly watched her from a blurred vision. He wanted to laugh out loud at the sudden tears that clouded his vision. He really did love Hayden ever since Sharpay told him they were expecting. Of course, at first he felt scared shitless. But he could see them – him and Sharpay – with a little bundle of joy and being extremely happy. He saw them as a family.

"It didn't really help that the night I woke up from pushing this surprisingly healthy and loud and large human being from my –" Zeke roughly coughed, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. "Oh, right." Sharpay shook her head and continued on. "Anyway, as I was saying. The night I woke up, nobody was there. Not a single soul was there to welcome me. I thought – I expected my boyfriend there, my husband there beside me. I woke up and nobody was there, Zeke. Ryan wasn't there, you weren't there, and my parents weren't there."

"I never left –" Zeke suddenly piped, trying to defend himself. But he immediately stopped when he saw Sharpay's eyes pleading at him, silently telling him to just let her finish her story. She wasn't angry, he could clearly see that. Sharpay was desperate for him to know what she thought.

"I was so afraid. I thought everybody left. I thought everybody took the chance and left when they could. They didn't want a baby; they didn't want to help me raise the baby." Her voice started to shake, reaching octaves Zeke hadn't even thought possible. "You can't blame me. I was tired and scared to death. I thought that if I slipped out unnoticed, everybody would be happy. I wasn't – dear Lord, I wasn't ready. When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought at the end of the nine months, I'll be ready. I thought that would be enough time but it wasn't, Zeke! It just wasn't . . . I was a twenty-two year old, fresh college graduate. What do I know about raising a child and having a family? What did we know?"

Zeke couldn't even find a right way to answer that.

"That's right, Zeke. We knew nothing about raising a child. We weren't ready and that fact made me run away. I couldn't bear to make that child suffer because we didn't know what the hell to do. Neither of us were working at that time. We both depended on our parents' money." Sharpay's eyes looked fiery as she stared at Zeke. It was rather frightening if you thought about it.

By the end of her rant, Sharpay had turned her head and placed it back on top of her knees. Zeke didn't even know what to do anymore. He felt empty – he didn't know what to feel, to be honest. Should he feel angry? Should he feel sad? And who should he direct those feelings to? To Sharpay or to himself? He didn't even know she felt that way. Sharpay never indicated how scared or unprepared she was.

He should feel angry at himself for his inability to notice how scared Sharpay was.

"My turn to ask a question." Sharpay's quiet, soft voice shook him from his own little world. Zeke spread his legs and wiggled them as they started to turn numb. Maybe sitting on the grass wasn't such a good idea. But he couldn't exactly sit beside Sharpay. That was too much, too soon.

Zeke didn't even realize they were still playing his silly little game. He looked up and frowned when Sharpay still hadn't looked back at him. Then again, he wasn't even sure he could look at her. "Shoot." He barely even whispered. Zeke wasn't even sure she heard him until she spoke up again, after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Are you too angry to yell at me?"

Zeke wanted to hug her.

He's never heard Sharpay sound so childlike. She sounded so young and vulnerable, it almost terrified him. She was supposed to be tough, icy even. Zeke had seen Sharpay's true self, but this was far from it. Even without her icy persona, Sharpay was still Sharpay – just a little softer than usual. But the girl in front of him – Zeke considered her as a girl again, not a woman, because that was what she looked like, a broken, scared little girl.

"I'm not angry. I'm not angry." Zeke stood up and finally, Sharpay looked up at him. Her cheeks were tear-stained but he couldn't trace one tear in her eyes. It was as if she hadn't cried. Her eyes were still as oceanic as they were eighteen years ago. But somehow, her cheeks were wet with the remnants of her supposed tears.

She was truly brilliant in all sense of the word.

And when the want was too much to bear, he couldn't help but try and be near her. But Zeke couldn't just invade her space without her permission. He was mindful of her space and his safety, as well. He needed to be near her, at least try and comfort her.

"Can I sit beside you?" Zeke suddenly blurted out before he could think any further.

* * *

**A/N: **There's a second part, though the next chapter I'll be posting will be a break from ZS and will be showing what's happening in Albuquerque while the two are in France. I've already finished the next chapter and will be writing part 2 soon.

This chapter is an unbeta'd chapter. My beta took too long to send my delivery so I had to publish this, beta'd or not. I'm sure she's just busy or something. :) So, if there are any mistakes with the grammar or spelling, alert me quickly and I apologize. I'm too lazy to read this again, lol.

Okay, so I really don't have a proper reason to excuse my lack of updates. I was, yet again, stuck and was not in the mood to write for weeks. But one night, I had the urge to write and I come up with this. And the next chapter, and the start of part 2. If you guys remember, the author's note in the prologue did say expect very very long updates. Yeah, lol.

**Review, review, review! If anybody's still reading, though. :|**

I have a list of questions I want you guys to answer, kinda like a survey. ;)

1. I made a new summary for this story. Check it out. Which do you prefer - the old or the new one?

2. Next chapter, back to Albuquerque. Which characters would you like to see?

3. Would you like ZS to stay in France for a few more days, or back to Albuquerque where their daughter is and probably more drama to come since Hayden did find out they were married?

4. Did you like this chapter?

-

In the words of an old FF friend,

tootles. ;)

**Updated: May 19, 09. Replaced old chapter with the beta'd chapter. :D**


	12. Why Parents Should Always Be There

**Chapter 12: **Why Parents Should Always Be There

_By beachbumyeahh_

* * *

"Hayden, sweetie, wake up." A gentle yet loud voice tried to shake her out of her dreamless sleep. Blair groaned loudly and rolled around, trying to block out the noise. She loved her Mother to bits, but she didn't love her enough to wake up at probably eight in the morning. It was summer after all.

"Blair, baby. Wake up. I made breakfast for us." Blair hid her head under her pillow and tried not to listen to her parents' voice. She heard a low grunt before her Father corrected himself. "I mean, your Mom and I made breakfast for all of us."

Her eyes suddenly snapped open under her pillow, all traces of sleep leaving her body. _Your Mom and I?_ They made breakfast _together_? What kind of sick twisted shit was this? First Darbus telling her he loves her, and now this? _Wait. _When did Zeke come home? And where the hell has Sharpay been since that wretched dinner?

Something about this whole situation felt wrong. From what she knew, they absolutely despised each other. And now, they just happen to make breakfast together? Blair couldn't even help but flinch at the sound her father made. Did he just – did he just _chuckle_? She didn't even know he knew how to. The sound sounded foreign to her ears.

Oh my Lord.

Was the world _ending_? Were we all destined to _die_ tomorrow?

Is that why her Dad's chuckling, because he might not be able to do it tomorrow? And is that why her Mother in the same house as her Father, because they were to be dead tomorrow?

Blair groaned again, shaking her head beneath the pillow. She had to stop watching those silly late night movies on TV. It made her think immaturely and one thing Blair will forever be sure of was that she had never been immature. She never had the chance to be immature, unlike all the other children on Earth. She didn't have a normal childhood.

"Blair, wake up." Another voice called out, a harsh sounding voice. It sounded oddly familiar but she couldn't quite place who it was. She could still hear her parents' soft laughter from beside her. They were really there. If only Blair could block out the annoying and mean voice, she would gladly leave the confines of her bed for her parents.

"Evans! Wake the hell up." She felt a sharp, painful poke on her back. She moved farther away from the people desperate to have her up. If they were going to treat her like this, she didn't want to get up. Plus, what kind of person wakes up at probably eight or seven in the morning?

Blair didn't have another second to ponder over the odd morning she was having as her feet were pulled towards the edge of the bed, bringing her body along. "What the hell?!" She shrieked as her body hit the hard, cold wooden floor. It was rather painful and whoever pulled her would certainly die. Whoever it was, it interrupted her would have been wonderful dream.

"I was trying to be friendly, but you just wouldn't wake up the way normal people do, Evans."

Great.

Cristiano Darbus was in her room and she was in her jammies.

Here comes the blush . . . and then, the screaming starts.

* * *

He took one step, then another, and he didn't stop until he saw the glass showcase in front of him. His eyes first traced the framed picture of his class' basketball team – they were good guys, every single one of them. And then, he found his Drama Club picture.

"I don't know about you, but whenever I see that picture, I feel old."

"Jesus!" Ryan jumped, his eyes finding a small brunette beside him, a ghost of a smile on her petite face. "Don't do that." He snapped, feeling his heart quicken – though Ryan wasn't _exactly_ sure if it was because of the surprise or the woman itself. "Sorry." He mumbled quickly, after realizing his mistake of snapping at her.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have sneaked up on you like that." Kelsi removed her glasses and looked at him with her dark blue eyes that seemed to be bottomless. "It's been awhile, Ry. What are you doing here?"

"I felt like I should finally visit the halls of my alma mater." Ryan quickly replied, surprising himself. He fully intended to lie and come up with some great excuse. He didn't want her to know that this was the first time he's visited ever since graduation. But, she might have known since she taught here.

Kelsi nodded, diverting her eyes to the old frame. Aurora Darbus stood in the middle, a large, beaming smile upon her old face. On her one side, she had Sharpay Evans with an equally pearly smile. And the other side, of course, had Ryan Evans whose eyes were trained on the small girl with the mousy brown hair beside him. Kelsi looked straight at the camera, a small, timid smile on her face. There were a few people behind them - most of them hated his twin sister, Ryan remembered. He couldn't quite blame them, though. Sharpay wasn't known by every student during their time because of her kindness.

Ryan noted the awkward shuffling of Kelsi's feet as both of them stared at the picture. "Listen, Ryan –"

He knew what she was going to say before she even said it. "Is Blair here?" He suddenly blurted, moving a few steps away from the memories and away from her. He came here for Blair. Ryan didn't want to listen to whatever she might want to say. He didn't want to remember, didn't want to reminsce about the past.

She shook her head, putting back her glasses on. She openly frowned at him. "I had Cristiano call her but then he volunteered to go and pick her up. She's late for general practice. Our play's opening tonight, have you heard that?"

Ryan nodded, receiving three tickets Blair left by his house the other night. He had told the maid to tell her he was out, when he was really just in his office, waiting for her to leave. What an uncle he was. He just couldn't face her and face the questions she was bound to ask. Zeke was supposed to be home for opening night, but then again, this was Zeke. When had he followed his promises? Blair was used to this, Ryan was sure of it. But what would he say to his niece when her mother doesn't show up as well? Blair was a Baylor, not to mention an Evans as well – she was bound to figure out the truth, Ryan just liked to prolong it as much as he could.

"That's why I'm here, actually." Ryan ran a hand through his short, blond hair, vaguely remembering his high school days where he always, _always_ wore a hat – Kelsi, too. "I thought Blair might want some support, a little bit of advice." He said, trying to lighten the aura around the deserted hallway.

Kelsi chuckled, turning around to walk, gesturing Ryan to follow her. "I assure you, Mr. Evans, your niece doesn't need the advice. She's better than you and Sharpay combined, especially when she's on stage with the third generation Darbus."

Ryan walked beside her, his hand unbuttoning the front of his suit, feeling too formal for the conversation. "Ha," He laughed, his lips creasing upwards. "I should probably think of that as an insult, but seeing as she is my niece and goddaughter, I'll try and see it as a compliment."

He felt weird talking with her. Ryan felt weird just being next to her. Kelsi looked entirely the same. She was still small and petite, though she did look more mature. She was wearing a face full of wisdom, a feature Mrs. Darbus also had. Maybe it was something all drama teachers learn to have after a few years of teaching? Ryan's mind chuckled, that was too farfetched, even for him.

They entered the auditorium and Ryan suddenly felt seventeen again. Sharpay would already be on stage, ordering everybody around to hurry up, screaming how they needed to make everything perfect for tonight. Gabriella and Troy would have their arms around each other, painting the last minute props Ms. Darbus decided to have. Chad and Taylor would be near the foot of the stage, fighting once again about God knows what. Zeke would occasionally stand beside Sharpay, pleading for her to take a break and chill out. Sharpay would glare at him and yell for him to get out of her happy place, but then, minutes later, would lead him to her dressing room to make up for her snappy attitude. And Ryan would be relaxing in the audience, his arm resting on the shoulders of their play maker.

But it wasn't their time anymore; it was their children's time. Blair, Cristiano, Alexander, and everybody else – it was their time to enjoy East High.

And he needed to stop thinking about the past. Ryan didn't need a flashback of what happened years ago. He dreamt about it sometimes. And it hurt. No one in the right mind would want to hurt themselves. So, he stopped thinking about the past.

* * *

"Oh, my God!" Blair cursed, throwing a pillow towards her former best friend's face. "Get out of my room, you perv! I'm in my nightwear! What if I was wearing something completely inappropriate? You could've seen me! And everybody knows how much of a pervert you are! I'm in jammies, Darbus! That's as embarrassing as wearing something inappropriate! And what the hell are you doing in my room without my knowledge? No, don't answer that. Why are you even here at this ungodly hour? Which maid let you in? I'll have her head off. You could've been a psychotic freak who could've suffocated me in my sleep, or rape me, or something!" She grabbed another pillow and it flew hastily towards Cristiano's chest. "Why are you even still here? I told you to leave, you freako! I need some privacy, for Pete's sake!"

Blair quickly stood up and glared at the intruder who was wearing his patented smirk. She heard deep chuckles vibrate from his chest. She hastily spun around and looked for her robe, an uncontrollable feeling of relief flooding through her veins. She was no longer angry as long as Darbus acted this way – he was her friend; and though they'd both denied it, they were each other's _best_ friend. This would be the first time she's seen Darbus since the fight that left her vulnerable for days. It was nice to see him act normally, or as normal as someone like him could be.

Maybe he finally realized he wasn't in love with her and they could never be.

When she finally tied her robe around herself, surprised that Darbus had managed to stay silent as long as he had, she was greeted by a disapproving look on his face. Oh, no. If he was going to bring up the fact that they were supposedly "perfect" for each other – and not as friends, Blair remembered Darbus correcting her when she said they were perfect together as friends.

"What?" She snapped, brushing her messy blonde locks.

"Do you know why I came here in the first place?"

Blair snorted, completely un-ladylike of her, and glared at him. "Hmm, geez, I don't know." She sarcastically said in a very unfriendly voice. "You wanted to annoy the hell out of me like you always do?"

Cristiano uncrossed his arms and gave her a stern look. "I'm going to give you five seconds to rethink your answer, Evans." He sneered, also glaring at her with his ashy orbs.

"What are you –"

"One."

Blair sighed, feeling completely irritated. First she was forced to wake up from a very, _very_ good dream and now, she was getting annoyed by someone who had made her cry and feel like shit for a week and a half. "Get of my room now, Darbus."

Why was she even surprised when he ignored her and continued to do his stupid counting? "Two."

She walked to her computer chair and sat on it, crossing her legs haughtily. "Seriously, what the hell are you trying to prove?"

Blair didn't get him. First, he tells her he loves her and stops being her friend because it was either boyfriend or no friend. And then now, he's in her room, making her remember their childhood together. Blair couldn't help but reminisce. When they were children, for as long as she could remember, they were the best of friends who always got into trouble. And then, they grew up and caused even more trouble. And even as Cristiano moved to Albuquerque and Blair was stuck in California, Darbus would still find a way to spend time with her.

Where the hell did they go wrong?

"Three." Blair decided to ignore him now. Let him count all he want, she wasn't going to waste her time on him. She hated him for making her cry, hated him for making her feel like the loneliest person on Earth, hated him for making her choose to lose her only friend than date him. But hate was such a strong word, and Blair wasn't sure of what she felt – it definitely wasn't love in the romantic form, that's for sure –, so for now, she'll have to settle for loathe. She _loathes_ him.

She grabbed her sidekick from the table and began scanning her messages. Blair sighed when she received no calls or messages from the three people she really wanted to hear from – Ryan, Sharpay, and Zeke. It was supposed to be four people, but Blair didn't include Darbus since he was right in front of her now.

Blair managed to glance at today's date, the twenty-fourth of July. Why was that date so familiar?

Darbus slowly walked towards her without her knowledge. His voice was growing louder, she noted as she continued to fondle with her sidekick. "Four."

She then opened her calendar and realization dawned at her face. "Four-and-a-half, Blair!" She heard Darbus' voice call out, a hint of anger and amusement in his voice.

Blair suddenly shot up from her seat and was shocked to find herself face to face with Darbus, their faces only a couple of inches away from each other. All anger seemed to have vanished from Darbus' face as he paled extremely. His eyes went two sizes bigger and his body tensed immensely. Blair would've laughed at the panic Darbus showed if her heart hadn't sped up painfully and her stomach started to feel bloated with, dare she say it, _butterflies_.

She quickly stumbled away from him, wanting space to think about what she had been thinking and what she had been feeling. "Jesus Christ, Darbus," Blair croaked, and as much as she hated it, her voice sounded surprised and weak. And more than anything, she hated sounding, feeling, looking weak. She was a Baylor with Evans blood – people who had that kind of blood was never thought of as weak.

Ryan was strong. Sharpay was stronger. And her father was the strongest out of all of them; she remembered thinking a couple of nights ago. Ryan was there for her, practically raised her own his own – loving her as his own daughter. He was strong. Sharpay was stronger simply because she came back for Blair. But Zeke had always been the strongest in her eyes. Until now, Blair couldn't remove the image of a broken Zeke from his mind. Her father! Her tough, stoic, unfeeling, absent father crumbled because Blair had been young and ignorant. She hadn't known mentioning musicals would upset her father, would break his facade.

And when Blair was weak, she did the thing she did best – puts up a shield and hurts anybody in her way.

"I swear to God, if this is some sick way to show me you love me, it isn't working. You don't love me. I don't love you. We're not even friends. You treat me like shit. I treat you like shit. It's a cycle. Build a fucking bridge and get over it!"

There was complete silence in the room – as if the world stopped spinning to listen their argument. Blair's eyes stayed on his face. Darbus' face reminded Blair of his father – emotionless and scary.

"I came here for professional reasons, Evans. I didn't come here for my personal issues but for the club, for the play. We were scheduled to rehearse at seven in the morning and may I suggest that if you're not serious about this, quit now." Darbus hissed dangerously. "Leave our personal issues out of this and act professionally. Get dressed and I'll see you downstairs."

Blair bit the inside of her cheek and spoke up quietly, "Darbus –"

Darbus stopped walking but refused to turn around. "I treat you like shit because you refuse to allow me to care for you and love you. You're used to pushing people away. I know what it's like to grow up in a shitty family but sooner or later, Blair, you're going to need somebody – you're going to have to stop pushing us away." He paused for what felt like an hour, but it was barely a minute. "And I know I'm not much but I'll always be here."

"Please stop it, Darbus." She quietly whispered, wrapping her robe tightly around herself.

Cristiano turned around and looked at her. "I'm going to try this one more time, Blair." His feet shuffled nervously before he finally spoke up. "I love you, Blair Hayden Evans-Baylor. You know me. I don't feel this way about anyone but you. I don't love. I've never loved – until now. Believe me."

"Cris –" Blair internally cursed herself. "I just –" She sighed and let his words sink in. "I'm sorry." She quietly whispered, turning around and hastily walking towards her bathroom and locked the door quickly. She waited until the door closed quietly before she slid down the door and cursed herself angrily. Hot tears fell from her eyes as she dialled a number she knew from heart.

"_Hey, this is Sharpay. Leave a message and I just might get back to you._"

"Mom? Yeah, it's Blair again. I've been calling you for some time now. Where are you? Listen, I'm going to leave a really pathetic message here and I hope you won't judge me because of it." Blair bit her lower lip and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "Mom, I think I'm in – I think I like this boy. And I don't know what to do. I need you here. Isn't it your job to give me advice and tell me how I really feel? Like in those movies I used to watch with Leah – she's my childhood friend. Anyway, I mean, I've never had this kind of problem before and I really didn't have a mother until you came so I don't know how this works. I just – I don't know what to do, you know? I could really use a mother right now. And your mine, right? You're here. Just this once, please? I think I've hurt him really bad and I don't know what to do. I can't talk to Uncle Ryan about this since it would be really awkward. He's not in good terms with Cris – shoot. You weren't supposed to know the boy."

Blair breathed slowly, trying to think of the right words to say. She just kept on rambling on the phone. But her nerves were a wreck now and she just – she needed to let it all out to someone who cares. And Sharpay cares, right? She's her mother, she has to care about her daughter! She just has to.

"_Your message has reached its maximum time. Please call again."_

"Damn it," She whispered under her breath and dialled again. She listened to the machine's words and quickly started to talk when the machine allowed her. "Hey, I got cut off. Oh, and it's Blair again. Anyway, his name's Cristiano, Mom. He's – I don't know. He's great, to be honest. We're really alike. But I don't really know what to say to him anymore now that I've hurt him. I said some horrible things. And I can't just take it back! We have this system and you probably won't understand it over the phone. It's just - _ugh_. Was it always this hard with you and Dad? Wait, don't answer that. I just - I wish you would pick up and talk to me. I need you. I can't talk to Ryan and Dad – Dad's gone, as usual. I don't have anyone else to talk to but you. And I just – you're here now and I _want_ to be like those other girls who turn to their mother for support. I want our family to be normal for once. I want to have a mother and father who are there and who will protect me from anything that would cause me harm. This is the first time I've really said anything about this, so . . . I guess – I just – I have to go. Bye."

Blair wiped her tears away and sighed loudly. Could the day get any worse?

She quickly stood up and scrambled inside the shower. Once the hot water was running freely around her body, Blair knew that the day was about to go from bad, to worse, and by the end of the day, it'll be the worst day ever.

* * *

"It feels weird to come here without Sharpay screaming bloody murder at you, isn't it?" Kelsi questioned. Ryan suddenly felt bad for her trying so hard to talk normally while he acted coldly. It wasn't hard only for him, but probably for her as well. He was surprised to find that she was already on stage, a clipboard in hand, as she went to check everything needed for tonight's play. A couple of students were there, approaching her every once in a while to question her about something.

Ryan walked towards the front, marvelling at all the times he'd performed here.

"Yeah. Weird." He mumbled, dropping his gaze to her eyes. Kelsi peered at him, her eye brow unconsciously rising in curiosity.

Ryan shuffled awkwardly and shoved his hands down his pants pocket and looked at her shyly. "It's just –"

"If you could just understand, we wouldn't even be in this mess!"

A dark figure passed Ryan and stomped off backstage, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight. Ryan turned around and saw his niece glaring at anyone who would make eye contact with her.

"What are you all looking at?" She barked out, her eyes burning with fury. Ryan felt concern flood his body. He cleared his throat, finally making his presence known. He'd seen classic Cristiano and Blair fights since they were in their diapers. But he'd never seen Cristiano walk away from a battle. Neither of them knew how to back down. So when Ryan saw Cristiano run away from his niece, he immediately knew something was wrong.

Blair's eyes immediately snapped towards his direction and he watched as her eyes softened at the sight of him. "Oh, _Uncle_ Ryan. Hey. How long have you been standing there?" She innocently asked before smiling at him. "I have to go do . . . something . . . practice my lines! Yeah, that's it! Practice. Bye." She ran towards him, kissed his cheek, and slowly made a menacing walk towards where Cristiano was.

Ryan didn't even call her out to tell her not to call her uncle. He just stood there, rooted on the spot, not knowing if he should run after her or let Blair settle her problems alone. Why had he come here, anyway? Why'd he take a leave from work? It was obviously only bringing him trouble.

"That happens on a regular basis. I'm sure you're accustomed to that already." Kelsi said, walking towards him. She didn't know how different it was now. She hadn't seen the pair grow up. This wasn't normal. She also didn't know that Blair only leaves the house for rehearsals. She didn't know that Zeke was in France with Hurricane Sharpay. She didn't know how hard it was for him to try and constantly fix his sister's family. She doesn't know anything about his life anymore.

"Yeah." He mumbled again, unable to find the right words to say.

"Hey Mrs. Cross?" A long haired brunette suddenly appeared beside Ryan, looking at him briefly before turning her attention back at Kelsi.

"How many times have I told you it's okay to –" Kelsi began to say but the young girl with dark and rich brown hair groaned loudly, her eyes silently pleading her teacher something. Ryan felt out of place between the two, as if there was a silent conversation happening he knew nothing about.

"Oh!" Kelsi instantly brightened as she suddenly remembered something. She grabbed the teenager's arm and brought her closer towards the two of them. Ryan wondered idly who this young woman. "Come here, Alyson. I'd like you to meet Ryan Evans, an old friend of mine."

This girl, Alyson, blinked at him with her wide, baby blue eyes before offering her hand which Ryan shook lightly. "Hi, I'm Aly Cross. Are you gonna be a new teacher here? 'Cause seriously, we need a new drama teacher. I really can't take –"

"Alyson!" Kelsi scolded, although a bright and proud smile was on her face. "Ryan, this is my daughter, Alyson."

Ryan hadn't even heard anything after _"Hi, I'm Aly _Cross_"_. He hadn't even known Kelsi had a daughter! Well, he had the idea that she must've had a young daughter but not a high school daughter! That's just – that's . . . He didn't bother to know anything about Kelsi's life. He tended to avoid her most among his old high school friends. And Ryan was never really home to be able to keep in close contact with everyone. He was either at Lava Springs, France, California or some other state that his country club invaded.

A loud crash from backstage and a very Blair-like shriek alarmed everyone, bringing Ryan out of his own little world. "Blair!" He bellowed out, finding himself already near the stage. He leapt upwards and dodged the curious students and ran as fast as he could to wherever the hell the shriek came from.

* * *

**A/N: **Erm.. 'Ello. :) That was.. well, I'll let you decide by reviewing, okay? In my defense, I tried soooo many times to redo the chapter, but I just can't, so I just decided to throw it all in. It might not meet your expectations, or it might. I don't know. :D BTW. this is the unbeta'd chapter since my beta hasn't sent the edited version yet. So, if there are any mistakes, please alert me as quick as you possibly can. :)

I like writing sad "I-need-my-parents" scenes with Blair. I don't know. I just love writing scenes like that. And kids, no matter how much we say we hate our parents and want them to go away so that we'll have our freedom, we can't live without them. You know what they say, "Parents. Can't live with them, can't live without them." LOL. :)

The next chapter centers back to ZS. I'm not yet done writing it, though I've already reached about three to four thousand characters, I think. I just need to add some more. I want to explain every drama between them during their stay in France, so yeah. :)

Oh! And as you've read, I gave Ryan a small storyline. I think Ryelsi and Jelsi are both cute, so yeaaaaah. :D And I've added another teen. :)

Cheers! Here's to hoping I can write better chapters!

Oh, and BTW again. I'm starting school soon, so my updates will probably go slower (if that's even possible). Check out my profile for more info on that issue. So, yeah. I think that's about it, right? :D Don't forget to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 15? Or was it 17? I'm quite confused about the dates. But do watch! I think it'll be better than the previous one, which was OOTP. I'm an HP nerd, so it's natural. :)

TTFN. :D


	13. The End Of The End: Part 2

**Previously..**

_Zeke wanted to hug her._

_He's never heard Sharpay sound so childlike. She sounded so young and vulnerable, it almost terrified him. She was supposed to be tough, icy even. Zeke had seen Sharpay's true self, but this was far from it. Even without her icy persona, Sharpay was still Sharpay – just a little softer than usual. But the girl in front of him – Zeke considered her as a girl again, not a woman, because that was what she looked like, a broken, scared little girl._

_"I'm not angry. I'm not angry." Zeke stood up and finally, Sharpay looked up at him. Her cheeks were tear-stained but he couldn't trace one tear in her eyes. It was as if she hadn't cried. Her eyes were still as oceanic as they were eighteen years ago. But somehow, her cheeks were wet with the remnants of her supposed tears._

_She was truly brilliant in all sense of the word._

_And when the want was too much to bear, he couldn't help but try and be near her. But Zeke couldn't just invade her space without her permission. He was mindful of her space and his safety, as well. He needed to be near her, at least try and comfort her._

_"Can I sit beside you?" Zeke suddenly blurted out before he could think any further._

* * *

**And another previously..**

_"Damn it," She whispered under her breath and dialled again. She listened to the machine's words and quickly started to talk when the machine allowed her. "Hey, I got cut off. Oh, and it's Blair again. Anyway, his name's Cristiano, Mom. He's – I don't know. He's great, to be honest. We're really alike. But I don't really know what to say to him anymore now that I've hurt him. I said some horrible things. And I can't just take it back! We have this system and you probably won't understand it over the phone. It's just - ugh. Was it always this hard with you and Dad? Wait, don't answer that. I just - I wish you would pick up and talk to me. I need you. I can't talk to Ryan and Dad – Dad's gone, as usual. I don't have anyone else to talk to but you. And I just – you're here now and I want to be like those other girls who turn to their mother for support. I want our family to be normal for once. I want to have a mother and father who are there and who will protect me from anything that would cause me harm. This is the first time I've really said anything about this, so . . . I guess – I just – I have to go. Bye."_

_Blair wiped her tears away and sighed loudly. Could the day get any worse?_

_She quickly stood up and scrambled inside the shower. Once the hot water was running freely around her body, Blair knew that the day was about to go from bad, to worse, and by the end of the day, it'll be the worst day ever._

* * *

_Chapter 13: The End Of The End: Part 2 (So Much For Their Happy Endings)_

_By: Beachbumyeahh :)_

Truth be told, Sharpay was tired, in the simplest definition of the word.

Zeke was looking down directly into her eyes, his face contorted into such an adorable expression that all she wanted to do was to laugh right then and there – which would be inappropriate for their current situation. Sharpay used the back of her hand and wiped her wet eyelashes, the remnants of the tears she had shed just a few minutes ago.

She opened her mouth in reply but a sort of wheezing sound just escaped her lips, embarrassingly her thoroughly. Maybe she was just in shock. Sharpay didn't think he would act so calm after what they talked about. She still couldn't even believe Zeke followed her to France. It was as if she was living the fairytale dream she had been hoping of years ago.

Dumbly, she just nodded and lifted her feet back onto the ground to give him some space to sit on. She had given up the attempt to talk to him – the wheezing sounds hadn't stopped just yet. Briefly, she noted the feeling that her head felt like it weighed tons.

Zeke took his time in sitting down, politely placing distance between him and Sharpay. He tilted his head upwards; perhaps he was sending a silent prayer to God. She warily looked at him, vaguely remembering how religious Zeke had been. Well, maybe everyone else was more religious than her but that isn't the point. It was the way she was brought up. Ryan was the same, too. They didn't actually have their parents home every weekend to take them to church, so they weren't at fault.

She knew staring would be rude but she couldn't help it. Plus, Sharpay already embarrassed herself so much, staring wouldn't do much damage anymore. Zeke Baylor had aged. His face was now free of its childlike features and he looked like a man that went through too much and held too many secrets. He looked tired, too. Maybe she wasn't the only one feeling tired. His eyes lost the certain sparkle, too. Sharpay missed the way it would somehow always have that twinkle in it, even if she was screaming bloody murder at him.

"_I mean, how can you forget what today is?" Sharpay shrieked, stomping around her dorm, occasionally glaring at her boyfriend that was currently sitting on her bed. "Today is the most important day of our relationship and you actually have the decency to forget it? Honestly, Zeke?"_

_Zeke apologetically smiled at her, his eyes creased upwards in an obvious attempt to hide his amusement. "Today? I don't see the importance of whatever today is, Shar."_

"_Today is our – how many months has it been? Ugh, Zeke! See! You made me forget!" She stopped directly in front of him and glared. "I don't like forgetting these things, Zeke. You know that."_

_He chuckled and stood up, cupping her cheeks with his hands. "Shar," Zeke started, his voice slowly calming her anger, its effects unnoticed by both of them. "I know you care about these little things more than me. And I'm sorry I made you upset by forgetting. I just –" He nuzzled his nose to hers, making her squeal in surprise and laugh, unwillingly though. "I'd like to remember the day we first started out. I like to remember your birthday. I like to remember our first kiss and our first time together. But I'd like to remember those days on the day it happened. It doesn't feel as special if we celebrate it every month, right? I don't want you to feel like I've forgotten because I do. I do remember everything."_

_Sharpay sighed and allowed her arms to wrap themselves around his waist. He let go of her cheeks and almost instantly, her head was on his chest. Zeke rested his hands on the small of her back, a smile on his face. "So, is all forgiven?" He questioned nervously. With Sharpay, your relationship will never be predictable, even if you have been together for quite awhile._

"_There are times when I question myself why I'm still with you –" _

_Zeke kissed the top of her head softly, interrupting her. "I ask myself that everyday I'm with you."_

"– _but it's times like these that I remember why I keep on loving you, you sweet little jerk." Sharpay whispered, defeated._

Sharpay realized how little she knew him now, unlike before when it felt like she was him and he was her, as if they were one. During high school, she would always know how he felt just by one scanning look at him. She would always have an idea, a hunch of what he was thinking. Sometimes, Sharpay thought their connection was stronger than the supposed twin-telepathy. She knew that whenever his eyes glazed over, he felt exceptionally happy – that usually happens after a successful basketball game or an exciting make out session with yours truly. But she didn't know what to do with him anymore. She didn't know what he was thinking or what he was feeling. She can guess what his emotions are due to his facial expressions, but the gut feeling was gone.

She had no idea where his head was at. She didn't know what color Zeke liked best now. He always answered that question with a smirk, saying light yellow always. Yellow always made him happy and that's why he's always preferred blondes over anything else – that admittance never failed to make her blush. He always reasoned out that he didn't want to be like other boys who followed the golden rule of having blue as their favourite color, except if it was the same shade as her eyes, he added cheekily – he managed to earn a long kiss for that one.

Sharpay didn't even know if he still baked. Somehow, imaging Zeke avoiding the kitchen was hard. He was always the reason why until now, she didn't want anything to do with cooking and the kitchen. When they were together, she attempted to cook but the years apart were too hard to try again. And Sharpay was sure the kitchen and its appliances didn't miss her that much – she almost burned down Zeke's parents' house when she tried to bake cookies for him once.

She shook her head and tried to focus her gaze back onto Zeke. He surprised her when she found him looking at her with a piercing gaze. Sharpay turned her head away, discreetly – or maybe not? – hiding the slowly creeping blush on her face. She really had to stop thinking like – like Zeke was still hers to keep, to hold, to love. She needed to stop because he wasn't hers and it'll only get harder for her if she keeps thinking like that.

"So, Sharpay," Zeke smiled warily, his eyes slightly creasing upwards. "I guess it's my turn to explain, huh?"

* * *

Blair closed the front door quietly, her Porsche's keys clutched tightly in her palm. She could practically feel her eyes throb and that wasn't helping her one bit. Her hair was held up by her imported chopsticks and she wore the first thing she could grab from her closet – fortunate for her, her closet didn't house anything but brilliance and beauty. Blair was clad in beige short shorts, a white shirt that clung to her body tightly and a black vest she found on her bedroom floor.

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and slipped on her white sunglasses and was about to cross the path to the garage when Blair saw the black Mercedes parked right in front of her house. She had seen it before, in emails practically yelling happiness. Darbus had been ecstatic about his new ride a few months ago. Blair couldn't detect the happiness now, though. It felt like the shine of its exterior was mocking her, taunting her.

Darbus was leaning on the passenger's door, his feet crossed and his eyes closed peacefully. Blair sighed, knowing that staring never did any work. She ignored the nosy neighbours that peeped from behind their fences and walked unenthusiastically towards the car.

"Are you driving me to school?"

Darbus opened his eyes and straightened his posture. "That depends," He twirled the keys of his own car around his finger. "Does it fall into the category of building a bridge and getting the fuck over it?"

"Look, I know what I said was out of line but -" Blair clenched her jaw and tried to think of something better to say. He wouldn't want to listen to this crap. Hadn't she heard his bitter and sarcastic question a few moments ago? "You know what, I'll just -" She mumbled, seeing as Darbus wasn't listening to a word she was uttering. Blair turned her back around and began to walk to her garage where her non-taunting and beautiful car was waiting to be driven in a speed unknown to man.

Darbus sighed and held the door open for her. "I'm not going to apologize, Evans," he yelled out, making her stop walking. "Just get in the car."

Blair walked back towards his car slowly. She was about to step in when she stopped, coming back up to see his face in close proximity with hers. "I'm just trying to figure everything out, okay?" She shook her head and spoke up in a much clearer voice. "The thing with my parents and the new town and now you – it's just hard. You used to be the only thing constant in my life. I'm not used to this. I am sorry for saying those things, you know."

She closed the car door herself, leaving him to stand there in confusion.

* * *

The car's buzz quieted down as they parked in front of the school. Blair's throat felt dry and choked up because of the tension inside the car. She didn't even try to strike up conversation with him. Anything she brought up would only be brought down by his dark mood. It wasn't like she blamed him; it was because of her that he was like that.

Darbus' deep voice jolted her out of her thoughts and after hearing what he had to say, Blair wished it never removed her from her thoughts. "Evans, we need to talk." He locked the door and looked at her with a defeated frown. "I just . . . I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Do – do what?" She stammered, confused on what he was trying to say.

"I don't even know if this is better for both of us." He mumbled, leaning his forehead on the steering wheel. Blair practically melted on the spot. Darbus looked so confused and hurt, his face almost looked childlike. That was when she decided she never wanted to see him hurt. She will never hurt him again – purposely, of course. She couldn't promise not to hurt him completely. Someone as beautiful as her best friend shouldn't be able to look as sad as he did right now.

Blair gently placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke up. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. It's just, I don't think we should be friends – it's hard to – God, what did you do to me, Blair?" He laughed, turning his head to look at her with a sad smile. A normal girl might have felt a little scared being locked in a car with a guy that was significantly stronger than her and had strong feelings for her. But, alas, Blair was not a normal girl and this was her best friend, her only true friend to be honest.

For her sake, Blair ignored his statement about their friendship. She didn't know what would happen if his suggestion went through. Instead of fear, she felt anger. Blair was trying to understand his situation, feeling pity for hurting him constantly and now he blamed her? No way, mister, that wasn't how the story went.

"What did I do to you, Darbus?" She flared, instantly retracting the hand that rested on his shoulder. "I didn't do anything to you! If anything, it's you who did something to me! Before this, my life was happy. I wasn't confused about how I felt for you, I wasn't crying over you, and I wasn't locking myself away in my room because of you!"

Blair gave him one of her best glares before turning to her door and unlocking the lock. Once she did, it instantly locked itself again. "What the hell, Darbus? Let me out, damn it!" She unlocked it again and looked at it challengingly, which gave him ample of time to lock it again. Blair hissed and glared at him again. "Real mature, jerk." She unlocked it again and was about to open it when it locked, yet again.

She shrieked and slammed back on her seat, crossing her arms in anger. "You think you're so cute playing this childish game," she mumbled angrily.

"Look at me, Blair," Darbus spoke up again, his voice as soft as it can be, leaving her no choice but to follow his request. "I'm not who I used to be. Look. Do I look as menacing? Do I look as tough and confident? Don't you think I'm confused as well? I'm not used to emotions, Evans. That's why we became friends in the first place. We used to be heartless assholes that didn't care."

Blair took this time to look at him closely and noticed the dark bags under his eyes. He looked so tired and weak, it shocked her. And there were marks on his face – wait, were those . . . bruises? "What the . . ." She mumbled, reaching out to touch his face. He didn't move away. A couple of weeks or months ago, he would've. Blair didn't know if she wanted him to move away or not. Her thumb grazed the almost undetected bruises on his smooth face. "I don't even know if I want to ask how this happened."

"You wouldn't want to know."

She nodded, knowing if Darbus said she didn't want to know, she really didn't want to know. "Okay." Blair breathed deeply, glancing at him with a soft expression. "I'm sorry I blew a gasket just now. My initial reaction to protect myself is anger." She attempted to smile but somehow it turned into a grimace. "And I'm sorry I hurt you."

Darbus leaned his cheek on her hand and smiled at her warily. "Blair . . ."

Blair placed her other hand on the other cheek and held his face close. She was going to do this. She had to finish this, once and for all.

"No, just let me talk, okay?" He tried to nod but quickly realizing she was still clutching his face. "You're my best friend, Cris – my only friend, to be honest. Nobody can banter with me like you do. I love that. I know I can act like myself when I'm with you. I act like a retard around you when I get hyper and I don't even feel ashamed. And I can come to you for something serious, too." Her hands slid downwards and rested near his collarbone. "You remember the time when I called you after you just landed here? I begged for you to come home because that was when I found out Jonathan was cheating on me with a college girl."

Darbus nodded, wringing his hands together nervously. He hated the way she made him feel – nervous, unworthy, and pathetic. No one had ever made him feel like that, except for her. She was different.

"I told you I couldn't come back home since I had just landed." He spoke softly, meeting her gaze with a sheepish look. "I also said that I'd send people to kill him."

Blair chuckled, tilting her head to one side to move aside the strands of hair that fell on her face. "I almost thought you were serious with that one, you know. I remember waking up at two in the afternoon with my eyes puffy and bloodshot, checking to see if someone had SMS'ed me that my ex was dead. But then I tripped on a body on the floor. I remember shrieking like there was no tomorrow, scared to see if it was Jonathan on the floor. That maybe it was a part of your sick joke, to bring me my dead cheating boyfriend."

"It was me you tripped on." Cristiano continued her story, smiling idly at the memory. "You stomped your foot on my chest when you realized it was me. I bruised."

"But you still came and after my fear wore off, I hugged you until you begged me to let go, saying that if I didn't, you'd fall in love with me." Blair whispered, her eyes widening in size, as if she had just realized what the story entailed.

Cristiano's hand softly grazed her cheek, his eyes falling on her lips. "Sadly, I did."

Blair studied his eyes for a long time. She still couldn't believe that this was the boy from a few months ago. He had changed so much, and maybe she had, too. She wished for the days when they would just curse at each other and insult each other for fun. But this was what they were now – two people trying to keep hold of a relationship that was simple to solve but hard to forget. It was either they date or become strangers.

Blair surprised both of them when she suddenly crashed her lips against his. Her eyes automatically closed while her lips stayed frozen on his. She was frozen in surprise and worry because Darbus had yet to move. She wrapped her arms around his neck and applied pressure again and soon enough, his lips were sliding against hers in ease. He kissed so softly and slowly; it was almost agonizing. She whimpered slightly at the slow pace he was going and Blair could've sworn she felt his lips smirk against hers – her Cris was still there and that made her feel a whole lot better about the kiss.

Darbus pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. "Blair –"

"Shut up," Blair whispered before crashing her lips against his again, this time hungrier than before. He might have sensed her urgency because soon enough, they were kissing as if they were in a battle.

It was everything Blair imagined it would be – hot, exciting, amazing, and absolutely right. It was the perfect teenage kiss. Her heart pounded against her chest and her mind felt like it was lost in a fog. She couldn't even ignore the mad fluttering in her stomach as her lips continued to slide against her best friend's.

She was in love – hopelessly and undeniably in love with Cristiano Darbus.

Oh no.

Oh, God, no.

* * *

"I guess . . . we really screwed things up, huh?" Zeke tried to smile but after what Sharpay had just explained, he just didn't have the energy.

She didn't say anything, just continued to gaze at him with those soft eyes. He compared them to the eyes that stared at him the first time they saw each other again – when Hayden was passed out in the Evans house. Her eyes were burning back then – with anger and . . . panic, Zeke realized with surprise.

He had been harsh that night. But it was too much, right? After years of practically living like a workaholic zombie unable to feel, when suddenly his reason for doing so was thrown right into his face.

"I reacted badly that night," he said, looking at her thoughtfully. "The night when Hayden was drugged, I mean. I forbade you to see her. You're her mother and I tried to forbid you to come near her."

Sharpay sighed loudly, wringing her hands. "I can't say it was the right thing to do, but it was sort of reasonable, and I didn't exactly listen. I stayed in her room for the night – I didn't get an ounce of sleep that night."

"I figured that out when I drove home that night. You never listened to me before. I figured you couldn't have changed that much."

She laughed softly, making Zeke look at her in a longing kind of look. "I'm just going to be honest with you, okay?" He nodded, waiting for her to continue. "I know what I did was wrong but I never really figured out why you didn't look for me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I would've, you know – if maybe Ryan or anybody from your family would tell me where you were. The first year, I couldn't function. I counted how many times I held Hayden that year. It was a total of five times. They tried to talk me out of my depression – well, I think it was depression – but they were never successful. I was never home. They were always at the apartment with Hayden. I don't know how I lived through that year."

"I always thought Ryan told you where I was. I thought . . . you despised me so much that you didn't even bother to look for me," Sharpay mumbled almost incoherently.

Zeke bit the inside of his cheek – a habit he had gotten during his younger years, a habit he had never really gotten over. "Do you know that Hayden almost died the day after you left?" Sharpay turned her gaze straight, seeing her grandmother's large house that she somehow managed to inherit without trouble. "You didn't. She was a day and half. My eyes never left the nursery after you were gone. I watched her like a hawk because I blamed her. I kept on thinking that it was her fault you left – and I've been blaming her until this summer."

She didn't try to interject because she had been thinking the same thing. Sharpay wasn't dumb. She could see the distance between Zeke and their daughter.

"Anyway, I just left to go to the bathroom. And then, when I came back, I found doctors around Hayden's crib. They were yelling, panicking even. And I couldn't do a damn thing. It turns out, there was a problem with her lungs and started turning blue when I left. I couldn't stay there while they tried to save my day and a half old infant's life. I ran away and returned the next day. Do you know how hard that was? I felt like a failure. First, you left. And then, I just left for a few minutes, only to return and find my baby dying. Don't get me wrong, I might have despised her back then but I've always somehow loved her."

Zeke closed his eyes and leaned on the bench's handles, placing his chin on top of his open hand. He took a deep breath, willing the images to go away. It felt so real, as if it happened just yesterday.

"I came back the next day, rammed Ryan into your hospital room's wall, asking where you were. When I realized that he didn't know a damn thing at the moment, I left. I went to every place that I remembered was important to you. Your house, my house, the apartment, the old high school, Lava Springs, the university, your old dorm room back in the university, all your dorm mates' house, the restaurant where I first took you out, the basketball gym where I proposed after my game, the beach where we got married – hell, I even went to Vegas to the hotel where we first had sex. I don't know why, but I thought 'Hey, maybe Sharpay remembered the gang's Vegas trip where everything turned serious with us'. I never imagined that it would be here – I forgot how important this place was to you," Zeke heatedly whispered, turning his head towards Sharpay's direction. She was still looking ahead, unable to meet his eyes.

"A week later, I came back. I came to the apartment to find my parents and Ryan there, taking care of our daughter. I looked at Ryan and I just knew he knew where you were. I excused him out the apartment and calmly told him to tell me where you were. He punched me in the face and told me how much of an asshole I was. He told me how heartless I was to leave my daughter. He told me that Hayden already lost one parent and she didn't need to lose the other one. He also told me to get over – get over you. That if you wanted to come back home, you would. But until then, I should just let you be."

Sharpay bit her lower lip before finally look at him. Zeke spoke as soon as their eyes locked. "I never looked for you again. I realized Ryan was right, that if you really wanted that life, you'd come back. I wasn't going to force you into a life you didn't want – which you didn't, by the way."

"But –" Sharpay whispered, her voice cracking at the one word. She cleared her throat and tried again. "But I want to now. I want to make it up to you. I want to try again, Zeke. I love Hayden so much – I regret not watching her grow up. And I – I meant what I said back at the dinner. I still love you. I want to trust you again. I want to you to trust me again."

This time, it wasn't her tears that fell fast. It wasn't her wheezing sobs that rang around the garden. But it was her soothing words that entered his ear and it was her arms that were wrapped around his shaking torso.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh. Wow. Just . . . wow. :)

Hello, dearest readers. I won't present any excuses now. Even I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated. I don't think I have readers left, do I? I don't think so. But I am sorry about the very, _very_ late update. But in defense, I did post a note on my profile and I think I warned you about that in the previous chapters, right? But still, saaarry. :)

Well, this has got to be one of the long ones - the chapter, I mean. It doesn't move much or maybe it does, I don't really know. I just want to sound "professional". Haha, sucks. Anyway, follow my ff twitter, will you? I sometimes update there on how the chapters are going and if I have a new story up. http:// twitter . com / imatellytubby

I have a very weird name but it's me. :) So, yeah. Sorry again and review, please? I want to know if someone is actually still reading this. If no one reviews, I'll be really sad and never update again. :( Kidding, but seriously. Tell me if you're still reading. I'll be panicking for days just for you guys. :)

**-- beachbumyeahh :)**

glücklick! (I got this from my dearest beta, K. Bears :D )

PS. I'm such a fan of long chapter titles. Hahaha. And oreos are HEAVEN. B-)


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